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UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS, 

Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 

CHAMPAIGN,  MAY,  1893. 


BULLETIN  NO.  26. 


THE  FOREST  TREE  PLANTATION. 

PRELIMINARY  HISTORY. 

The  first  official  act  in  the  establishment  of  this  experiment  was 
the  report  made  to  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  University  by  its 
Committee  on  Horticulture,  November  18,  1868.  The  members  of  the 
committee  were  Burden  Pullen,  Samuel  Edwards,  O.  B.  Galusha, 
M.  L.  Dunlap,  and  W.  C.  Flagg.  The  following  is  taken  from  the 
report  : 

The  great  feature  of  these  horticultural  grounds,  and  what  is  of  paramount  im- 
portance at  this  time  to  the  whole  people  of  the  state,  is  the  planting  of  forest  trees 
for  useful  purposes.  It  is  a  new  demand  upon  their  industry  and  upon  their  lands, 
from  which  they  cannot  fail  to  reap  the  most  valuable  results. 

The  new  condition  of  things  created  by  railroads  and  improved  agricultural 
implements  presents  new  industries,  both  to  the  cultivators  of  the  soil  and  to  the 
mechanic,  in  which  they  have  a  mutual  interest.  The  forests  are  rapidly  disap- 
pearing, or  at  least  those  useful  trees  that  have  a  commercial  value,  and  yet  many  of 
the  new  demands  have  not  been  met  nor  is  the  old  supply  likely  to  hold  out.  But  if 
the  forests  of  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  and  Indiana  were  adequate  to  the 
demand,  as  a  matter  of  economy  in  freights,  if  not  in  the  superior  quality  of  our 
second  growth  timber,  especially  of  the  deciduous  varieties,  it  is  an  object  to  grow 
them  at  home  rather  than  to  buy  them. 

Timber  for  railroad  ties,  culverts,  cars,  roadways,  and  buildings,  fencing,  vine- 
yard stakes,  hop  poles,  stanchions  for  coal  banks  ;  soft  wood,  like  white  willow  and 
the  poplars,  for  berry  boxes,  crates,  and  staves  ;  hoop  poles,  carriage  and  wagon 
material,  agricultural  implements,  and  the  multiform  wants  of  the  age,  make  up  a 
demand  of  most  surprising  magnitude,  that  will  add  to  our  rural  industry  an  import- 
ance that  the  most  sanguine  have  not  heretofore  dreamed  of. 

If  we  look  at  this  as  simply  the  demand  of  agriculture,  it  must  be  conceded  that 
it  is  legitimate  and  ought  to  be  granted  without  an  objection  ;  but  we  have  added  to 
this  the  claim  of  the  mechanic,  who  is  also  largely  interested,  for  it  w\U  enable  him 
to  compete  with  those  of  other  states  in  the  supply  that  commerce  demands. 

The  state  that  sells  the  raw  products  of  its  soil  is  never  rich,  while  the  states  that 
manufacture  for  others  do  well  ;  those  that  grow  the  raw  material  and  manufacture  it 
at  home  are  the  most  prosperous.  No  doubt  the  State  of  Illinois  had  these  facts  in 
view  when  it  established  this  great  school  of  the  industries  for  the  especial  benefit  of 
those  two  classes  who  create  the  wealth  of  the  state. 

There  are  in  this  state  about  eighty  species  of  forest  trees,  besides  the  larger 
shrubs.  With  the  exception  of  the  oaks,  yellow  poplar,  and  hickory,  we  have  not 
drawn  largely  from  our  native  forests,  and  to-day  we  purchase  nearly  all  of  our 

205 


2O6  BULLETIN    NO.    26.  \May, 

timber.  Nearly  all  of  the  ash  timber  used  for  agricultural  implements,  a  part  of  our 
fence  posts,  and  a  portion  of  our  railroad  ties  come  from  other  states.  Added  to  these 
are  the  greater  part  of  the  material  for  our  wagons  and  carriages,  when  not  wholly 
manufactured  in  other  states;  the  timber  for  railroad  cars,  and  the  hardwood  lumber 
for  many  other  useful  purposes,  that  ought  to  be  grown  near  the  place  of  manufacture. 

To  bring  these  useful  trees  within  the  bounds  of  culture  and  to  utilize  them  is  one 
of  the  objects  of  this  industrial  institution.  To  teach  the  people  of  the  state  how  to 
add  these  products  of  the  forest  to  their  other  crops,  and  thus -add  millions  of  dollars 
annually  to  the  wealth  of  the  state,  to  give  labor  a  wider  range  and  a  more  compre- 
hensive field  for  its  employment,  are  objects  worthy  of  such  an  institution. 

Thousands  of  acres  of  timber  can  be  planted  in  shelter  belts,  to  check  the  winds 
that  come  down  from  the  north,  with  its  polar  cold,  destroying  the  plants  that  the 
genial  summer,  fanned  with  the  breath  of  the  tropics,  has  made  to  flourish  on  our 
open  plains.  Wall  in  these  prairies  of  central  and  northern  Illinois  with  belts  of 
conifers  and  deciduous  trees,  and  we  shall  have  one  of  the  best  of  climates,  genial  and 
equable  ;  and  with  the  best  soil  in  the  Union,  with  a  geographical  position  midway 
between  the  two  oceans,  over  which  must  pass  a  large  part  of  the  commerce  of  the 
world,  if  we  are  not  laggards  in  the  world's  progress  we  may  reap  from  such  surround- 
ings a  rich  reward. 

The  committee  has  divided  these  thirty  species  of  useful  forest  trees  into  three 
classes,  according  to  their  supposed  value  for  the  demands  of  commerce  and  for 
domestic  use.  In  the  first  class  they  include  the  European  larch,  Austrian  pine  and 
Norway  spruce,  native  trees  of  Europe,  and  the  osage  orange,  native  of  the  south- 
western states.  In  the  second  and  third  classes  white  willow,  a  native  of  Europe;  black 
spruce  and  Norway  pine,  natives  of  the  more  northern  states.  Thus  making  up  the 
list  with  four  European,  three  of  other  states,  and  twenty-three  species  from  the 
forests  of  Illinois. 

Our  other  native  tr>  es  of  minor  importance  will  find  a  place  in  the  arboretum, 
where  those  of  other  sections  of  this  continent  and  of  Europe  may  be  tested  side  by  side. 
It  is  probable  that  among  them  may  be  found  many  of  value. 

First  Class.  European  larch,  osage  orange,  white  pine,  white  ash,  Austrian  pine, 
green  ash,  arborvitas,  blue  ash,  red  cedar,  Norway  spruce. 

Second  Class.  White  sugar  maple,  black  sugar  maple,  American  chestnut,  shell- 
bark  hickory,  cucumber,  Norway  pine,  silver  leaf  maple,  tulip,  white  willow,  black 
walnut. 

Third  Class.  Red  maple,  white  elm,  red  elm,  butternut,  catalpa,  hemlock, 
basswood,  white  oak,  black  spruce,  bur  oak. 

The  white  pine,  Austrian  pine,  Norway  spruce  and  hemlock  to  be  planted  eight 
by  eight  feet  :  all  others  four  by  four  feet.  The  former  requiring  six  hundred  and 
eighty  trees  to  the  acre,  and  the  latter  two  thousand,  seven  hundred  and  twenty.  The 
above  distances  to  be  varied  to  some  extent  by  way  of  experiment,  to  ascertain,  by 
actual  trial,  the  most  proper  distances  for  the  planting  of  the  several  species. 

In  accordance  with  this  report  an  appropriation  was  obtained  from 
the  state  legislature,  from  which  $1,000  was  set  apart,  March  i  ith,  1869, 
for  trees  and  seeds. 

LOCATION  OF  PLANTATION  AND  CHARACTER  OF  SOIL. 

The  experimental  forest  tree  plantation  of  the  University  w  as  be- 
gun in  the  spring  of  1871;  since  then  additional  plantings  have  been 
made  from  time  to  time.  It  is  located  upon  the  east  end  of  what  is 
known  as  the  experiment  farm,  and  at  present  comprises  about  thirteen 
acres  planted.  The  land  was  originally  prairie,  but  had  been  under 
cultivation  for  thirty  or  more  years,  mostly  in  corn.  A  part,  however, 
had  been  too  wet  for  tillage,  and  was  used  for  pasture  or  meadow. 
Through  this  portion,  before  the  trees  were  set,  an  open  ditch  was  dug, 
which  rendered  the  ground  sufficiently  dry  for  planting.  The  soil  is  the 
black  loam  common  to  the  prairies  of  central  Illinois,  but  varies  a  good 
deal  as  to  richness  in  different  parts.  On  the  highest  portions  the  wash 
of  many  years  and  the  continual  cropping  without  fertilization  in  any 


1S93-] 


THE    FORESTRY     PLANTATION. 


207 


I! 


1 


^  'S 


2OS  BULLETIN    NO.    26.  [/1/<7JT, 

way  had  left  the  soil  so  poor  that  the  common  farm  crops  failed  to  be 
remunerative;  while  some  of  the  lower  parts  have  a  deep  vegetable  loam 
overlying  tenacious  clay.  In  no  case,  however,  has  manure  been  applied 
— probably  none  had  ever  been  applied — to  any  portion  of  the  land  upon 
which  the  plantation  exists.  As  far  as  practicable,  advantage  was  taken 
of  this  diversity  of  soil  and  location  in  planting,  so  as  to  suit  the  require- 
ments of  the  several  kinds  of  trees.  The  tract  is  one  hundred  and  six 
rods  long  from  north  to  south.  The  rows  of  trees  run  north  and  south. 
An  east  and  west  roadway  divides  the  plantation  into  two  equal  portions. 

VARIETIES  OF  TREES. 

The  kinds  of  trees  originally  selected  were  such  as  were  esteemed  of 
special  value  or  importance,  but  owing  to  various  causes  the  list  as  first 
made  has  not  been  completely  filled,  while  a  few  other  kinds  have  been 
added.  The  following  species  of  trees  have  been  planted.  The  names 
are  those  of  Gray's  Manual. 

Basswood  (Ti/ia  Americana). 

Tree  of  heaven  or  ailanthus  (Ailanthus  giandulosus). 

White,  silver,  or  soft  maple  (Acer  dasycarpiun). 

Sugar,  rock,  or  hard  maple  (Acer  saccharinum). 

Box  elder  or  ash  leaved  maple  (Negundv  aceroides). 

Three  thorned  accacia  or  honey  locust  (Gleditschia  triacanthos). 

Hardy  catalpa  (Catalpa  speciosa). 

Tender  catalpa  (Catalpa  bignoni aides). 

Green  ash  (Fraxinns  viridis). 

American  or  white  elm  (Ulinus  Americana}. 

Osage  orange  (Madura  aurantica). 

Butternut  or  white  walnut  (Jitglans  cinerea). 

Black  walnut  (JitgJans  nigra). 

Shell-bark  or  shag-bark  hickory  (Gary a  alba*). 

Big  shell-bark  or  king  nut  (Gary a  sulcatd). 

Bur  oak,  over  cup,  or  mossy  cup  (Querctts  macrocarpa). 

Chestnut  (Castanea  vesca). 

White  willow  (Salix  alba). 

White  pine  (  Pinus  strobus). 

Austrian  pine  (Pinus  Austriaca). 

Scotch  pine  (Pinus  sylvestris). 

Norway  spruce  (Abies  excelsa). 

European  larch  (Larix  Europua). 

Red  cedar  (Juniperus  1'irginiana). 

METHOD  OF   PLANTING. 

Most  of  the  trees  were  purchased  as  seedlings,  one  to  three  years 
old,  of  various  nurserymen,  and  were  placed  in  the  nursery  for  about  two 
years.  The  larch  were  planted  directly  in  the  forest  when  one  year 
old,  and  the  first  chestnuts  at  two  years.  The  catalpa,  butternut,  black 
walnut  and  bur  oak  were  grown  in  nursery  from  seed,  the  white  willow 
from  cuttings,  while  the  box  elder,  chestnut  second  planting,  and  the  two 
hickories  were  planted  as  seed  directly  in  the  forest.  In  this  latter  way 
were  also  planted  white  oak  and  pecans,  both  of  which  failed — the 
former  mainly  from  the  depredations  of  rabbits  and  mice  digging  and 
eating  the  acorns,  the  latter  by  being  plowed  up  by  a  careless  employe. 
These  have  not  been  replanted.  The  ailanthus,  honey  locust,  and  linden 
were  transferred  from  the  nursery  when  about  six  to  eight  feet  high. 


1893-]  THE     FORESTRY     PL  AXTATIOX.  209 

Later  some  apple  were  planted  when  four  or  five  years  from  the  root- 
graft.  All  of  the  early  planting  was  done  in  rows  four  feet  apart, 
and  with  the  exception  of  Scotch,  Austrian  and  white  pine,  two  feet  in 
the  row.  At  this  time  it  was  strongly  argued  that  the  trees  would 
make  a  more  upright  growth  if  planted  very  close,  and  that  the  trim- 
mings from  time  to  time  would  be  a  source  of  profit.  The  later  plant- 
ings, however,  including  the  hardy  catalpa,  linden,  ailanthus,  honey 
locust,  oak,  and  the  transplanted  hickory,  were  made  in  rows  eight  feet 
apart,  and  with  the  trees  usually  four  feet  apart.  The  method  of  plant- 
ing for  all  small  trees  was  as  follows: 

The  ground  being  put  in  good  condition  by  plowing,  harrowing, 
and  the  use  of  a  plank  "  clod-crusher,"  a  line  was  stretched  the  length  of 
the  proposed  row,  when  by  walking  upon  the  line  a  straight  mark  was 
made,  sufficiently  distinct  for  the  purpose,  after  the  line  was  re- 
moved. Two  men  went  together,  one  with  a  spade  or  shovel,  the  other 
with  an  armful  or  basketful  of  seedling  trees.  Guided  by  the  mark 
the  former  raised  a  shovelful  of  earth,  the  latter  put  into  position  a 
young  tree;  the  earth  held  upon  the  shovel  for  the  purpose  was  now 
thrown  on  the  roots,  and  was  tramped  down  by  the  man  carrying  the 
trees.  In  this  expeditious  way  the  work  was  done  well,  and  at  compar- 
atively little  cost.  The  planting  of  the  larger  trees  was  neccessarily  at- 
tended with  much  more  labor,  in  excavating  a  sufficiently  large  and  deep 
hole,  in  digging  and  distributing  the  trees,  and  in  more  carefully  filling 
around  the  roots,  while  the  result  with  the  small  stock  ordinarily  proved 
more  satisfactory. 

The  seeds  of  the  box  elder,  oaks,  chestnut,  and  hickories  mentioned 
above,  were  planted  in  the  autumn  as  soon  as  gathered;  otherwise  the 
planting  was  all  done  in  the  spring,  and  as  early  as  possible.  As  stated, 
the  chestnuts  and  acorns  were  destroyed  by  rabbits  and  mice;  otherwise 
the  fall-planted  seeds  did  excellently  well. 

CULTIVATION,  TRIMMING,  AND  THINNING. 

The  young  trees  were  cultivated  during  several  summers,  usually 
about  five,  just  as  corn  is  worked.  While  the  trees  were  small  enough, 
two-horse  corn  cultivators  were  used,  after  which  one-horse  double- 
shovel  plows.  For  the  first  two  seasons  the  rows  were  also  hoed  out  about 
twice  each  year.  Some  of  the  later  plantings  were  not  so  well  cultivated, 
with  sufficient  indications  of  the  fact  in  the  less  satisfactory  results. 

As  soon  as  the  trees  shaded  the  ground,  so  as  to  keep  down  an  in- 
jurious growth  of  weeds,  cultivation  was  discontinued;  after  this  very 
little  expense  was  involved  in  the  management  of  the  plantation. 

Up  to  the  year  iSSS  there  was  but  little  trimming  except  such  as  al- 
ways comes  naturally  to  thickly  grown  trees.  The  branches  of  all 
deciduous  trees  soon  decay  and  fall  off,  and  this  has  given  most  of  the 
older  trees  clean  trunks  ranging  from  ten  to  thirty  feet.  In  most  of  the 
pine  and  pine-like  trees  the  dead  branches,  being  full  of  resin,  remain  for 


2IO  BULLETIN    NO.    26. 

a  long  time,  and,  as  the  tree  grows  around  them,  they  make  loose  knots 
in  the  timber. 

In  the  winter  of  1888-9,  tne  wnite>  Austrian,  and  Scotch  pine 
trees  were  trimmed  up  to  a  height  of  about  ten  feet,  though  not  all 
the  dead  wood  was  taken  off.  The  branches  of  the  white  pines  are 
dead  now  to  a  height  of  twenty  to  twenty-five  feet,  in  some  cases  more. 
The  Scotch  and  Austrian  pine  branches  have  not  died  so  high.  During 
February  of  the  present  year  the  Norway  spruce  and  European  larch 
have  been  trimmed;  the  spruce  to  the  height  of  about  eight  feet  and  the 
larch  to  ten  or  more.  The  spruce  were  trimmed  as  high  as  all  the 
branches  were  dead;  but  the  larch  have  but  few  live  branches  until  a 
height  of  twenty  feet  or  more  is  reached. 

From  time  to  time  the  rows  were  thinned  so  that  the  remaining 
trees  stood  four  to  six  or  eight  feet  apart,  and  after  about  seven  years 
alternate  rows  were  cut  out  from  the  ash,  Norway  spruce,  larch,  butter- 
nut, black  waluut,  soft  maple,  osage  orange,  tender  catalpa,  and  elm. 
The  remaining  rows  were  further  thinned,  in  some  cases  as  the  trees 
were  required  to  be  set  out  on  the  University  grounds,  or  for  use  on  the 
farm,  as  posts,  etc.;  or  in  the  case  of  the  pines,  as  the  trees  died.  Some 
of  the  trees  have  been  trimmed  up — the  lower  branches  being  cut  away 
so  as  to  leave  a  clean  trunk  several  feet  high;  but  by  far  the  greater 
number  have  been  left  to  trim  themselves. 

MISTAKES  IN   VARIETIES. 

In  the  spring  of  1869  there  were  purchased  3,000  seedlings  of  green 
ash,  and  special  pains  was  taken  by  the  committee  to  secure  a  lot  of 
white  ash.  The  search  for  seedlings  of  the  latter  caused  a  delay  of  one 
year,  when  20,000  seedlings,  believed  to  be  of  this  species  {Fraxinus 
Americana}  were  secured. 

It  certainly  requires  the  knowledge  and  acuteness  of  an  expert  to 
identify  this  species  in  the  seedling  state;  though  the  seeds  themselves 
and  the  matured  trees  are  quite  readily  recognized.  The  second  lot  of 
seedlings  was  green  ash,  though  named  in  the  reports  for  several  years 
as  white  ash.  It  may  be  well  to  state  also  that  an  attempt  followed  to 
get  genuine  white  ash  seed;  an  order  was  made  on  one  of  the  best  nur- 
serymen in  the  country  for  a  sufficient  amount  of  seed  to  furnish  the 
required  seedlings.  This  seed  upon  arrival  was  pronounced  green  ash 
again,  but  the  dealer  being  confident  to  the  contrary,  some  of  it  was 
planted  and  green  ash  seedlings  appeared.  Once  more  true  white  ash 
seed  was  gathered,  but  for  some  reason,  probably  because  allowed  to  be- 
come too  dry,  only  a  small  proportion  germinated.  No  white  ash  has  yet 
been  planted  in  the  forest.  The  mistake  here  made  is  a  very  common 
one  in  the  country  generally,  and  is  productive,  as  in  this  case,  of  serious 
consequences.  It  is  the  more  to  be  regretted  because  of  the  easy  identi- 
fication of  the  seed  of  the  several  species  of  ash;  no  nurseryman  need 
blunder  in  planting. 


1893-]  THE    FORESTRY    PLANTATION.  2ll 

In  a  similar  way  10,000  seedlings  of  "black"  sugar  maple  (Acer 
nigrum}  were  purchased  of  one  nurseryman  and  a  like  quantity  of 
"white"  sugar  maple  (Acer  saccharinum)  of  another.  Both  proved  to 
be  the  latter.  In  this  case,  however,  the  distinctions  are  not  so  pro- 
nounced. Botanists  now  usually  make  the  former  a  variety  only  of  the 
latter,  the  recognized  difference  not  being  deemed  sufficient  for  specific 
distinction.  Furthermore  there  is  little  difference  in  the  trees  for  timber 
purposes. 

When  this  plantation  was  commenced,  attention  had  not  been  called 
to  the  fact  that  there  were  two  kinds  of  catalpa,  differing  from  each 
other  in  very  important  particulars  for  the  purpose  of  timber-growing 
as  well  as  other  uses;  but  two  species  are  now  recognized:  C.  speciosa, 
the  hardy  western  type,  and  C.  bignonioides,  the  tender  or  south-east- 
ern type.  Unfortunately  the  latter  was  used  in  our  first  planting.  In- 
deed, the  true  western  type  of  this  tree,  indigenous  in  the  Mississippi 
Valley,  though  so  much  better  than  the  eastern  variety,  was  rarely  seen 
in  cultivation  even  in  western  localities  until  within  the  last  fifteen  years. 
We  now  know  that  the  two  kinds  are  easily  distinguishable,  and  as  the 
seeds  are  sufficiently  unlike,  no  further  mistake  should  be  made.  As  the 
records  will  show,  the  two  kinds  give  very  different  results  in  the  plan- 
tation. 

DIFFERENCES  IN  VARIETIES. 

In  this  connection  mention  should  be  made  of  the  difference  in 
varieties  of  many  species  of  timber  trees  and  of  the  capital  importance 
of  attention  to  these  differences  in  selections  for  practical  arboriculture. 
The  white  elm  (  Ulmus  Americana)  varies  so  much  that  woodsmen  have 
several  special  names  for  the  kinds,  of  which  some  are  very  valuable 
for  certain  uses,  while  others  are  worthless.  The  same  may  be  said  of 
box  elder,  tulip  poplar  {Liriodendron  tulipifera],  and  cottonwood.  Some 
differences  are  due  to  soil  and  situation  (a  thing  also  worthy  of  study), 
but  the  seed  of  certain  trees  gives  very  different  stock  from  that  of  cer- 
tain other  trees  of  the  same  species;  sometimes  the  varieties  grow  mixed 
together  in  the  same  region  of  country,  sometimes  the  distinctions  are 
seen  only  in  trees  geographically  separated.  The  so-called  yellow  cot- 
tonwood of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  the  wood  of  which  is  readily  split 
and  worked,  is  specifically  identical  with  the  almost  worthless  common 
cottonwood  (Populus  monilifera}  of  our  part  of  the  country. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  PLANTATION. 

As  a  further  contribution  to  the  history  of  the  plantation,  extracts 
from  some  of  the  annual  reports  are  here  appended,  together  with  tables 
taken  from  the  same.  It  is  interesting  to  note  the  estimation  placed 
upon  the  results  at  the  times  reported : 


212 


BULLETIN    NO.    26. 


FOREST  RECORD  FOR  1871 


0 

o 

0          > 
-«  T)  7Q 

a-  ST  cn 

N      'S      '^  o 

-5 

0   ft 

o  o 

Name. 

V 

hh 

1  1  ^        S  3 

*l        £  »     o  Sf 

<  ~* 

o 

jj 

^  n>  cr 

a  fj 

8  a 

£o 

3 

8 

£  CU  a 

Ml 

OQ    «,             0    "»>        CL  CD 

orp  3 

ft    0 

•     c/) 

C/3 

. 

!      5- 

\sh   green 

I/ 

i  360 

^  vrs.  1    $27  20 

$6  95     $6  19    2x4 

r>8               e. 

$40  34 

Ash    white 

14,974'     2                  149.74 

35.63       4  79    2x4      nc             ^ 

190.  16 

Catalpa  .  

14 

I,36l       2                    21.77 

4.17     2.53  2x4 

IOO         I 

28.47 

Chestnut  

\/ 

1,361       2                      30.00 

6-79       3-95    2x4      50           .5 

40.74 

Elm   white 

860 

2                       4  76 

3  Q^          3  43'    2X4      IOO          I 

12   14 

Larch,  European 

2 

10,890 

I             98.01 

21.20         8.50     2x4        25               .5 

127.71 

Maple,  white..  .  . 

>6 

680 

3                  8.16 

6.17       3  89    2x4      98        i 

18.22 

Osage  orange  

% 

1,361 

2                  5-44 

4.78          1.30     2x4        98 

2 

11.52 

Pine   Austrian 

I/ 

680 

gtoi2in 

30  oo 

44O          2  Q4      4X4         2 

-j«      *•*. 

Pine    Scotch 

j$ 

680 

i  to  2  ft 

30  oo 

42S          ^   O4     4X4         2 

17  2Q 

Walnut,  white.  .  . 

# 

2  yrs. 

20.40 

3.43         .85    2x4      99           .5 

24.98 

Willow,  white.  .  . 

X 

I,36l 

i 

8.00 

4.67       1.42:   2x41     98 

2 

14.09 

Totals  

7 

36,749 



$433-48 

$106.59  $42.83!  

583  oo 

All  the  above  trees  looked  very  well  the  first  part  of  the  season,  but  during  the 
latter  part  the  white  grub  ( the  larvae  of  the  May  beetle )  almost  destroyed  some  of  the 
varieties.  They  worked  mostly  on  the  European  larch  and  white  ash,  in  some 
instances  girdling  the  roots  entirely,  from  one  and  a  half  inches  below  the  surface, 
several  inches  down  ;  and  owing  to  the  season  being  so  dry,  the  trees  could  not  repair 
the  injury.  White  ash  two  feet  high  were  girdled  in  the  same  manner.  In  the  case 
of  the  Austrian  and  Scotch  pines  we  attribute  losing  so  many  mostly  to  the  dryness 
of  the  season.  The  Scotch  pine  were  never  transplanted  before,  which  we  think  was 
one  cause  of  so  many  dying.  Chestnuts  were  injured  somewhat  by  the  grub." 


FOREST  RECORD  FOR  1872. 


•a 

2 

STJ  >     '0 

fco 

o 

B-o 

U»  -^ 

7Q    >     ':            O 

o' 

U3     ^ 

ar  ju  »             w 

a  g 

~.  o 

P    w 

<    ^ 

0    re           «S 

rr 

Names.             5-  g 

a. 

I 

m\  i 

~-  ^ 
3'  o 

QTQ     <-» 

JU    «• 
«  .  0 

o  ~» 

3 

°  £T 

re  a 

P-8 

I'l 

^•3      ^a  ^ 

o 

0 

C/3 

Ash,  green.  .  .  !      1871 

..    . 

i  

$2    52 

2X4 

98 

2>4     ft          $2   52 

$42.87 

Ash,  white 

18  52 

2X4 

Q-l 

3       ft        18  51 

-708  fin 

Catalpa  

i 

512 

2X4 

IOO 

4ft             5   12:       tt  cci 

Chestnut  

75 

2X4 

T,         ft                7S 

41    en 

Elm,  white.  .  . 

2  37 

2X4 

IOO 

o}4    ft            2  37 

j  i    57 

Larch,    Euro- 

i                   1 

pean  Re-pi.  '72 

4,000 

i  year.  . 

$30.00    $6.90 

30.32 

2X4 

3012       ft       67.22 

194.44 

Maple,  white         1871 

72 

2X4 

0814        ft               72 

18  Q5 

Osage  orange. 

4Q7 

2X4 

08   C  V^     f  t                ^1    O7 

1  6  49 

Pine,     Aus- 

trian     Re-pl.'72 

I,OOO 

9-12  in. 

25.00       6.40 

6.82 

4x4 

30 

4      in.       38.22 

75  56 

Pine,  Scotch. 

1,000 

12-15  m- 

20.00      3.70 

4.20 

4x4 

20 

4       in.       27  90,      65  19 

Walnut,  white1      1871 

5  60 

2X4 

QQ 

2          ft              S  60 

^o  s8 

Willow,  white1         " 

«:  67 

2X4 

98 

Uft           S-67 

19.7^ 

Pine,  white  .  .  \      1872 
Spruce.   Nor 

2,722 

12-15  JD 

122-49         9.85]        12.  OO 

4X4 

30 

3       in      144.34 

144-34 

way..                      " 

1,360 

1  ' 

2994i      7-45      10.12 

2X4 

98 

3       in.       47.51       4751 

! 

10,083 

$227.43 

$34  30 

$109.70].... 

1*371.40 

$958.1! 

•893.] 


THK     FORESTRY     PLANTATION. 


2I3 


FOREST  TREE  RECORD  FOR   1875  AND   1876. 


1876. 


0 

Varieties.                ^ 

C 

i 

i 

f 

c 
i 

•} 

I 

* 

Diameter 

Cost. 

( 
oj 

C 

!' 

r 

/- 

c 

s 

-\ 

•. 
) 

* 
r 

Diameter. 

Cost. 

Cost  from 
beginning. 

Ft. 
Norway  Spruce.  ...       2 

In. 

S 

Ft. 

In. 

8 

In 

$2.55 

14 

Ft. 
4 

In. 

3 

Ft. 

In. 
6 

White  pine                      2 

8 

ii 

5  05 

I 

2 

i 

$  I    ?c 

$66  31 

Austrian    pine  2 
Scotch  pine  3 

8 
8 

i 
i 

2 
2 

... 

255 

2.55 

X 

i£ 

4 

i"5 

8 

I 
I 

6 

8 

2 

2 

5-75 
i  80 

362.79 

QQ  76 

White  ash  n 

10 

3 

2 

T3 

6  "5° 

?7^ 

15 

8 

3 

4 

T» 

i.  80 

77  ^Q 

Green  ash  15 
Catalpa                           12 

2 
-? 

8 
6 

i,!:, 

2 

00.00 

i  15 

H 

V. 

17 
Tfi 

6 

3 

I  9 

'id 

?', 

54" 
.80 

253-46 

American  elm              12 

3 

2 

.50 

Vs 

1^ 

6 

2 

80 

OQ  oQ 

European  larch  ...       8 
Osage  orange                10 

3 

4 

If 

T» 

3-5° 

I  25 

1/8 

tf 

10 
ia 

6 

3 

4 

i5 

.5" 

21   80 

I8.IO 
246   "2A 

Butternut  8 

6 

3 

1.05 

% 

TO 

6 

i 

il 

1.25 

21   96 

Black  walnut   .  .             9 

2 

2 

Q 

T? 

I  OS 

VK 

12 

2 

6 

2 

5  5O 

White  willow.  .      .       12 

7 

•1 

7 

T:! 

3-5O 

3/Z 

2O 

6 

2 

10  60 

18  14 

Soft  maple  17 

8 

I 

q 

2| 

•  55 

i/ 

21 

4 

6 

?=} 

6.  20 

18  16 

Sugar  maple  3 

7 

4  25 

vl 

•  45 

25  42 

Chestnut  (all  dead)  . 

3-75 

40  86 

Box  elder  (few  trees)    15 

7 

6 

VJ 

41    SQ 

Apple    (Cultivating) 

V. 

7 

fi 

I 

3 

2S   2O 

!. 

Cost  for  the  season    .  . 

$36  94 

*•  /j 

20.95 

Cost  from  begipning  .  .  . 

*95-  I0 

$1466.97 

The  foregoing  table  shows  the  average  height  and  size  of  the  trees  in  this  plan- 
tation, the  growth  during  the  summers  of  1875  and  1876,  and  the  cost  of  cultivation, 
together  with  the  total  cost  of  each  kind  and  the  whole  plantation  from  the  com- 
mencement. With  the  exception  of  the  chestnut,  all  the  kinds  planted  are  now  rep- 
resented by  nearly  their  full  numbers  except  as  removed  by  thinning,  and  all  are  in 
a  healthy,  vigorous  condition.  In  1875  a  peculiar  blight  affected  the  young  leaves 
and  shoots  of  the  sugar  maple,  but  its  cause  was  noi  ascertained.  It  has  not  ap- 
peared this  year,  and  the  trees  have  recovered.  A  fungus  leaf  parasite  has  made  its 
appearance  upon  the  silver  leaf  maple,  forming  black  shining  patches  or  scabs  some- 
times an  inch  across  and  often  several  of  them  upon  a  leaf.  It  does  not  appear  to  be 
very  destructive,  but  evidently  reduces  the  thriftiness  of  the  tree.  The  disease  is  by 
no  means  new  elsewhere,  being  widely  disseminated  east  and  west,  but  not  found, 
to  my  knowledge,  in  this  vicinity  before.  No  remedy  is  known  to  me  except  the  all 
but  impracticable  one  of  gathering  the  fallen  leaves  and  burning.  From  the  nature 
of  the  parasite,  this  must  be  a  specific  where  it  is  possible  to  make  use  of  it.  The 
scientific  name  of  the  fungus  is  Rhytisma  acerinum,  Fr.  The  plantation  has  been 
remarkably  free  from  insect  depredations.  Several  leaf  eating  caterpillars  have 
worked  upon  the  elms  and  walnuts,  but  not  so  as  to  do  serious  damage.  The  larva 
of  a  butterfly  (Grapta  interrogationis)  has  defoliated  very  injuriously  the  elm  trees 
planted  singly,  as  along  streets  and  on  the  ornamental  grounds,  and  a  sphinx  larva  in 
like  manner  the  ash;  but  upon  trees  in  masses  they  do  not  appear  to  work  much. 

The  only  addition  made  since  the  last  report  is  a  quarter  of  an  acre  of  apple, 
planted  four  by  four  feet.  I  recommend  the  addition  of  box  elder  and  honey  locust, 
the  plants  to  be  grown  from  seed,  which  can  be  obtained  at  little  or  no  cost.  The 
measurements  of  ,a  few  box  elder  are  given  in  the  table  for  1875.  They  were  planted 
by  chance  with  the  white  ash  and  were  then  of  the  same  age  and  size  of  the  latter; 
but  at  the  date  given  the  average  height  of  the  box  elder  was  15  ft.  7  in.  against  n  ft. 
10  in.  for  the  ash,  and  the  diameter  of  trunk  one  foot  from  the  ground,  3^  to  ig  in. 

By  the  showing  of  the  table,  the  willow  is  now  making  the  most  rapid  growth, 
having  gained  in  average  height  6  ft.  in  1876.  Next  comes  in  order  the  soft  maple 


214 


BULLETIN    NO.    26. 


[May 


{Acer  dasycarpitni],  4  ft.  6  in.;  the  catalpa  and  osage  orange,  each  4  ft.,  and 
the  white  ash  and  European  larch  each  3  ft.  4  in.  The  two  first  do  not  furnish 
very  valuable  timber,  while  that  of  the  four  following  are  very  useful.  From  the 
most  reliable  information,  we  know  that  the  wood  of  both  the  osage  and  the  catalpa 
is  almost  proof  against  decay — the  dead  logs  in  their  native  places  lie  for  ages  upon 
the  damp  ground,  hard  and  sound,  while  generations  of  human  beings  come  and  go. 
A  log  of  catalpa  certainly  known  to  have  lain  upon  the  earth  in  the  wet  woods  of 
Pulaski  county,  111.,  during  the  whole  century  of  our  republic,  was  sawed  into  boards, 
and  one  of  them,  perfectly  sound  and  receiving  a  high  polish,  helped  form  the  col- 
lection sent  by  this  University  to  the  Centennial;  apiece  cut  from  the  plantation, 
nearly  four  inches  in  diameter,  also  went  with  the  collection.  This  was  from  seed  sown 
in  1869.  The  osage  orange  wood,  perhaps,  is  still  more  valuable,  and  the  woods  of  the 
ash  and  of  the  larch  are  highly  esteemed.  Upon  very  extended  inquiry  during  the 
last  winter,  in  connection  with  the  Centennial  wood  collection,  it  was  found  that  the 
price  of  wood  as  fuel  had  not  increased  during  the  last  ten  years  in  our  state,  and 
that  in  more  than  half  of  the  timbered  regions  the  growth  was  estimated  to  be  fully 
equal  to  the  destruction.  With  our  immense  supplies  of  coal,  it  is  doubtful  if  wood 
can,  for  many  years  to  come,  be  profitably  grown  for  fuel;  but  the  finer  and  better 
varieties  of  trees,  such  as  are  named  above,  may  yield  a  handsome  profit,  while  nat- 
ural forests  are  burned  to  clear  the  ground. 

TheConif  erae,  as  indicated  by  the  figures,  are  growing  rapidly — the  white  pine  being 
first  for  the  last  year;  the  Scotch  and  Austrian,  for  the  year  before.  The  growth  of 
these  trees  should  not  be  compared  with  that  of  the  deciduous  ones,  because 
of  the  natural  slowness  of  their  growth  when  young.  In  after  years  they  will  over- 
take their  present  rivals.  The  proportionately  great  expense  of  the  larch,  walnut,  and 
butternut  for  1876  is  due  to  extra  work,  pruning  and  transplanting. 

FOREST  RECORD  FOR  1886. 


2 

' 

> 

0 

o 

s> 

re 

1-1  re 

I 

i 

<yn 

O 

0 

n 

o 

o 
£ 

2, 

c 

3 

93 

n 

n 

pre 

P 

"H. 

IB- 

sit 

•B'l 

p 
a 

2, 

1 

2L 

0 

6 

*HL 
ST 

ST 

3 

fl 

cr 

re 

5' 

I 

*T 

re 

ST 

3 

f 

o 
o 
£ 

P 

p 

re 
O. 

i 

y 

cr 

re 

re 

p 

5 

QJQ 

re 
p 

Ailanthus  

1 

4x8 

1881 

2 

18 

3j£ 

X 

$10.40 

Apple  

4x4 

1876-7 

4  to  5 

18 

3/i 

XX 

50.00 

$25.20 

$15.00 

$90.20 

Ash,  green  
Black  walnut  

3 

2x4 
2x4 

1871? 
1873 

3 
4 

40 
37 

6 
8 

XX 
XXX 

76.94 

24.00 

42.58 
8.50 

190.63 
21.14 

310.15 
53.64 

$35-00 

Box  elder  

j 

2x4 

1877 

Seed 

5 

XXX 

2.00 

II.  OO 

13.00 

20.00 

Butternut  

14 

2x4 

1871 

2 

30 

X 

20.40 

3-43 

24.23 

48.06 

Catalpa,  hardy  

4x8 

1881 

2 

17*4 

4M 

XXX 

2.00 

5-50 

6.50 

14.00 

8.00 

Catalpa,  tender  

1  1 

2x4 

1871 

2 

28 

61/2 

X 

21-77 

4.17 

43-37 

69.31 

5-oo 

Cedar,  red  

1871 

2  to  3  ft. 

X  X 

Chestnut  

v\ 

2x4 

1871 

2 

'  '  '  11 

6-79 

14.65 

57-44 

Elm,  American  
Hickory,  small  nut.. 

••'• 
?, 

2x4 

2x8 

1871 
1880 

2Seed 

29 
2-4 

5 

xx" 

XX 

4*76 

3.50 

3-95 

10.39 
6.00 

19.10 
9-5° 

7.  co 

Hickory,  large  nut  .  . 

\ 

2x8 

1880 

Seed 

2-4 

XX 

4-50 

9.00 

13-50 

Honey  locust  

14 

4x8 

1882, 

2 

13 

2 

XX 

10.00 

6.40 

5.oo 

21.40 

T        *  j  on  high  land 
Larcn  /  on  low  land. 

2 

2x4 

1871 

I 

34 

8 

X 
XXX 

98.00 

21.20 

189.44 

308.64 

2.50 

Linden  

'4 

4x8 

1881 

6 

!7 

2J/2 

XX 

10.00 

6.40 

5-6o 

20.00 

325 

Maple,  hard  

2x4 

1873 

3  to  7 

22 

3 

XXX 

20.00 

10.60 

20.26 

50.86 

65.00 

Maple,  soft  

y... 

2x4 

1871 

3 

44 

7M 

XX 

8.16 

6.17 

11.09 

25.42 



Oak,  bur 

14 

4x8 

1885 

A 

2-3 

X  X 

I  ^  OO 

6,00 

2.OO 

23.OO 

Osage  orange  

2x4 

1871 

2 

23 

4J€ 

XX 

5.44 

4.78 

14.14 

24-34 

5  oo 

Pine,  Austrian  

I'"* 

4x4 

1872 

9-12  in 

27 

6*4 

XX 

30.00 

4.40 

69.36 

103.76 

Pine,  Scotch  

4x4 

1872 

1-2  ft. 

29 

7M 

XXX 

30.00 

4.25 

48.14 

82.39 

2.50 

Pine,  white  

i 

4x4 

1872 

12-15  in 

25 

5*4 

XXX 

122.49 

9.85 

250.45 

382.69 

Spruce,   Norway  

V\ 

2x4 

1872 

12-15  in 

25 

5 

XXX 

'    29.94 

7-45 

34-92 

72.31 

30.00 

Willow,  white  

% 

2x4 

1871 

i 

59 

XXX 

8.00 

4-57 

27.49 

40.16 

Totals  

$637.30 

$192.28 

$1029.79 

$1846.87 

$183.25 

In  explanation  of  the  above  table  it  may  be  said  that  the  distance  apart  is  the 
original  spacing  of  the  trees.  Most  kinds  have  been  thinned.  The  dimensions  of  the 
trees  are  those  taken  in  October,  1886.  The  present  condition  of  healthfulness  and 
thrif  tiness  is  indicated  in  the  column  by  crosses .  Here  one  cross  stands  for  poor  order, 
two,  fair  only,  and  three,  in  excellent  condition  and  promising  in  appearance.  In  the 
case  of  the  larch,  a  double  indication  is  required  on  account  of  the  difference  in  the 


1893-]  TH£    FORESTRY    PLANTATION.  315 

plantation  on  the  low  and  high  ground.  In  the  columns  of  cost,  the  exact  items  are 
put  down  when  known,  otherwise  approximate  estimates  are  made.  When  the  young 
trees  were  purchased,  as  was  the  case  with  all  those  planted  in  1871  and  1872,  except 
the  tender  catalpa  and  butternut,  the  exact  figure  is  recorded,  but  when  the  seedlings 
were  grown  on  the  University  grounds  the  account  of  cost  was  kept  with  the  whole  forest- 
tree  nursery  —  not  with  the  separate  rows  or  blocks  of  different  species .  So  in  the  cost 
of  cultivation,  the  amounts  named  were  often  obtained  by  dividing  the  full  amount 
according  to  the  areas  occupied  by  the  kinds.  In  the  column  of  receipts  the  amounts 
are  approximate  sums.  When  trees  or  trimmings  were  used  for  the  University  a 
definite  credit  was  not  usually  made,  and  was  not  carried  to  the  special  kind  of  tree. 
The  items  of  cost  of  the  trees  and  the  receipts  so  far  are  not  regarded  as  of  any 
importance  in  the  experiment,  because  they  cannot  be  made  use  of  in  arranging  for 
another  plantation,  on  account  of  the  great  variation  of  prices  and  circumstances.  As 
already  said,  the  small  receipts  were  almost  wholly  for  trees  to  transplant.  Another 
time  or  place  there  might  not  be  such  a  demand.  Certainly  no  one  should 
count  upon  such  sales  as  one  of  the  legitimate  and  regular  items  of  income  from 
a  forest  plantation.  Only  in  so  much  as  the  latter  partakes  of  the  nature  of  a  nurerys 
can  the  sale  of  living  trees  be  considered  appropriate  to  it. 

When  not  done  directly  by  the  University,  the  trees  were  cut  away  in  thinning 
by  men  who  took  the  poles  for  the  work.  In  this  way,  while  no  credit  is  given 
for  the  trees,  the  removal  of  those  in  alternate  rows,  as  described,  has  not  cost 
anything  which  should  be  charged  against  the  plantation. 

In  most  instances  these  trees  removed  were  used  for  firewood  ;  sometimes,  for 
stakes  or  poles. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  SEVERAL  VARIETIES. 

AILANTHUS  (Ailanthus  glandulosus).  These  trees  were  grown 
from  seed  in  nursery,  and  when  two  years  old  transferred  to  the  forest, 
in  1 88 1.  They  made  a  very  rapid  growth  from  the  beginning,  probably 
surpassing  all  other  kinds  in  this  respect.  In  four  years'  time  a  height 
of  about  sixteen  feet  was  attained,  with  proportional  diameter  of  stem. 
But  during  the  winter  of  1884-5  tney  were  killed  to  the  ground.  One 
large  specimen  on  the  University  lawn,  which  had  stood  unscathed  the 
rigors  of  fourteen  winters,  also  perished.  The  following  summer  pro- 
digious shoots  were  sent  up  from  the  old  stocks,  some  of  them  stretching 
up  during  the  single  season  to  eight  or  ten  feet  in  height.  The  new  growth 
has  been  suffered  to  care  for  itself,  and  the  block  therefore  looks  rough 
and  uneven.  The  trees  are  very  irregular  in  size.  Many  of  those  that 
were  not  killed  entirely  to  the  ground  are  now  35  to  40  ft.  in 
height  and  one  foot  in  diameter  of  trunk  one  foot  from  the  ground. 
Sprouts  have  come  up  thickly  from  the  roots  so  that  there  are  trees  of 
all  sizes  from  2  or  3  ft.  up  to  40  ft.  in  height.  They  have 
so  nearly  taken  complete  possession  of  the  ground  where  they  were 
planted  that  no  other  woody  plant  except  the  black  raspberry  has  been 
able  to  get  a  start  among  them.  This  habit  of  root  sprouting  is  one  of 
its  greatest  drawbacks  as  an  ornamental  tree.  In  the  forest  plantation 
where  the  ground  has  not  been  fully  occupied  by  other  trees  the  ailan- 
thus  has  spread  in  this  way  as  much  as  50  ft.  The  more  the 
sprouts  are  cut  off  the  thicker  they  come  up  again,  but  on  land  that  is 
fully  occupied  by  other  trees  they  seldom  sprout. 

Aside  from  the  liability  to  destruction  by  frost  during  specially 
trying  winters,  it  is  questionable  whether  this  species  has  any  value  for 
timber.  It  certainly  does  grow  wonderfully  fast,  at  least  when  young, 


2l6  r.ULI.ETIX     NO.     26.  [-)/<7V, 

and  that,  too,  on  poor  soil  ;  but  the  wood  has  little  value.  It  is  coarse 
grained  with  a  rather  pleasing  color,  does  not  take  much  polish,  but 
when  well  prepared  it  might  make  an  agreeable  variety  for  use  in  some 
kinds  of  furniture. 

APPLE  TREES  {Pyrus  mahis}.  In  1876-77  there  was  an  overstock 
in  the  nursery  of  Perry  russet  and  Stark  apple  trees,  root-grafted 
in  1872.  These  trees  were  in  excellent  condition,  but  as  no  market  was 
found  for  them  it  was  decided  to  try  some  as  timber  trees.  One-fourth 
of  an  acre  was  planted  in  the  spring  of  1876  with  trees  four  years  old, 
and  a  similar  area,  or  a  little  more,  the  following  season.  All  had  been 
"cut"  with  a  tree  digger  in  the  fall  of  1875,  but  not  moved 
from  their  place  until  transferred  to  the  forest.  The  first  were 
planted  4  ft.  by  8  ft.  apart,  and  occupy  a  block  on  the  west  side 
of  the  plantation,  where  they  are  exposed  to  the  sweep  of  the 
prevailing  winds  of  which  they  clearly  show  the  effects.  The 
outer  rows  are  bent  over  to  the  eastward  very  conspicuously,  and 
the  average  height  is  less  than  would  otherwise  have  been  the  case.  In 
this  block  the  average  measurements  in  1886  were:  height,  17  ft.  9  in., 
circumference  of  trunk,  10  4-5  in.  In  the  second  block,  planted  4  by  4  ft. 
apart,  well  sheltered  on  all  sides,  the  height  was  22  ft.,  and  the  trunk  same 
size  as  above.  Four  or  five  years  after  planting  the  whole  ground 
became  shaded  by  these  trees,  after  which  no  undergrowth  of  any  kind, 
except  mosses  and  other  low  plants,  existed.  The  trees  have  grown 
much  more  erect  than  they  commonly  do  in  the  orchards,  but  the  main 
stem  soon  becomes  divided  into  many  branches,  even  when  closely 
crowded.  Little  can  be  said  in  favor  of  the  tree  for  timber.  The 
wood,  if  of  good  size  and  straight  grained,  is  very  valuable  for  purposes 
where  fineness  and  closeness  of  grain,  together  with  hardness  and  sus- 
ceptibility of  polish,  are  requisites. 

The  block  of  Stark,  surrounded  on  three  sides  by  larger  growing 
trees,  is  32  feet  in  height  and  ten  of  them  4  to  5  inches  in  diameter. 
Many  of  them  are  dead  or  dying,  though  apparently  not  from  blight. 
The  trees  in  the  two  rows  next  the  white  pines  are  nearly  all  dead,  and 
the  influence  of  the  pines  is  seen  on  the  third  and  fourth  rows  to  some 
extent.  The  block  of  Perry  russets,  fully  exposed  on  the  west,  seems 
to  have  given  a  strong  argument  against  protection.  There  are  only 
four  rows  of  these  trees,  eight  feet  apart.  East  of  the  apple  are  two  rows 
of  basswood  that  were  set  five  years  later  and  next  east  of  the  bass- 
wood  are  black  walnuts.  The  apple  trees  in  the  west  row  are  all  alive  and 
nearly  all  in  good  health.  The  second  row  from  the  west  is  nearly  all 
alive.  More  than  two-thirds  of  the  trees  in  the  third  have  died,  while 
in  the  east  row  there  are  only  six  trees  left  alive.  These  trees  did  not 
all  die  at  once  but  have  been  going  year  after  year  for  the  past  eight 
years. 

GREEN  ASH,  (Fraxinus  viridis').  As  has  been  stated  the  greater 
portion  of  the  ash  planted  was  supposed  to  be  white  ash  {Fraxmus 


1893-]  T1IE    FORESTRY    PLANTATION.  2iy 

Americana.}  Nearly  three  acres  were  planted  2  by  4  ft.  in  one  block, 
and  one-fourth  of  an  acre  in  another  block,  on,  however,  similar  ground. 
All  proved  to  be  green  ash.  Both  lots  were  planted  in  the  spring  of 
1871  and  in  both  cases  nearly  all  the  trees  grew  thriftily  from  the  be- 
gin ning,  gaining  6  in.  the  first  year.  Those  in  the  three-acre  lot  were  two- 
year-old  seedlings,  the  others,  three  years  old ;  both  were  from  nursery 
beds.  Like  the  larch  and  chestnut,  the  roots  of  these  young  trees  were 
considerably  gnawed  by  white  grubs  the  first  season,  and  the  losses  may 
be  almost  wholly  attributed  to  this  cause. 

The  ground  upon  which  the  ash  are  growing  is  rather  low  and 
level.  For  any  agricultural  crop,  tile  draining  would  materially  improve 
it.  The  black,  vegetable  loam  is  quite  deep,  underlaid  with  tenacious 
yellow  clay.  An  open  ditch  through  the  lowest  portion  carries  a  stream 
of  water  during  the  first  half  of  most  summers. 

Cultivation  by  plow  and  hoes  was  thorough  during  the  first  four 
seasons,  and  afterwards  the  plow  was  run  occasionally  between  the  rows. 
When  the  trees  became  large  enough  for  planting  in  shelter  belts, 
streets,  etc.,  a  large  number  were  taken  here  and  there  from  the  rows, 
beginning  in  1875  and  continuing  ten  years.  In  1876  and  afterward 
whole  rows  were  dug  for  these  purposes,  and  in  1878  the  remaining 
alternate  rows  were  cut  down.  The  growth  of  the  trees  has  been  ex- 
ceedingly irregular.  Those  that  get  the  first  start  gain  more  and  more  upon 
their  shaded  companions,  so  that  there  may  often  be  found  two  trees  of 
the  same  age  standing  side  by  side,  yet  one  ten  to  twenty  times  as  large 
as  the  other.  Evidently  this  ash  does  not  succeed  well  in  the  shade, 
though  the  latter  is  not  dense  enough  to  keep  down  the  conspicuous 
undergrowth  of  weeds  and  many  kinds  of  shrubs.  An  occasional  box 
elder  apparently  grows  as  vigorous  surrounded  by  thickly  set  ash  as 
though  the  latter  were  not  present.  In  natural  forests  the  green  ash  is 
found  especially  on  the  banks  of  streams,  while  the  white  ash  more 
commonly  grows  among  other  trees  on  rich  bottom  land.  Does  the 
former  perish  in  the  shade  and  succeed  in  the  opening  made  by 
the  water.  In  this  connection  it  ought  to  be  noted  that  sprouts 
were  abundantly  sent  up  from  the  low  stumps  left  in  thinning,  and  that 
these  still  make  a  slender  but  considerable  growth.  Some  of  these  are 
now  larger  than  certain  specimens  of  the  original  planting. 

There  is  more  undergrowth  among  the  ash  than  appears  under  any 
other  trees.  It  is  indeed  very  interesting  to  observe  the  great  number 
of  shrubby  and  other  growths  which  normally  belong  to  woods.  It 
will  be  remembered  that  the  land  was  originally  prairie  and  had  been 
cultivated  in  farm  crops  for  thirty  or  more  years,  yet  one  now  finds  here 
great  numbers  of  raspberry  and  blackberry  bushes,  cherry,  Virginia 
creeper,  poison  ivy,  dogwood,  elder,  grape,  red  and  black  haws,  red 
cedar,  besides  beggar  lice,  ''stick-tights,"  and  various  forest  dwelling 
weeds  and  grasses;  in  smaller  numbers  laurel  oak,  scarlet  oak,  white 
oak,  hickory,  hazelnut,  sassafras,  mulberry,  hackberry,  honey-suckle, 


2i8  BULLETIN  NO.   26.  [May, 

gooseberry,  currant,  cat  briar,  and  a  few  others.  These  introduced 
woody  plants  now  considerably  outnumber  the  ash  trees. 

They  evidently  have  been  brought  in  by  birds,  for  it  will  be  noticed 
that  the  kinds  named  bear  berries  or  other  fruits  commonly  eaten  by 
birds,  or  are  furnished  with  appendages  by  which  the  seeds  or  pods  ad- 
here to  feathers,  etc.  Great  numbers  of  birds  do  resort  to  the  planta- 
tion for  roosting  and  shelter.  The  nearest  natural  wood  is  about  three 
miles  distant. 

It  is  difficult  to  state  the  average  size  of  these  trees,  on  account  of 
the  extreme  variation.  In  1886  the  better  specimens  were  5  to  7  in.  in 
diameter  and  40  ft.  in  height,  a  few  running  over  that.  At  present  the 
range  of  diameters  is  from  i  in.  up  to  1 1  in.,  but  the  small  ones  can  of 
course  never  make  anything  of  value.  The  average  diameter  is  near  6 
in.  while  the  better  specimens  such  as  were  given  seven  years  ago  are 
from  8  to  9  in.  in  diameter,  and  45  to  48  ft.  high.  The  trunks  are  tall, 
slender,  nearly  free  from  living  branches  for  half  or  more  of  their 
height  and  in  the  main  are  straight.  What  are  not  straight  now  would 
become  so  before  reaching  a  size  suitable  for  making  into  lumber.  The 
growth  of  the  tree  is  always  greatest  on  the  inside  of  a  crooked 
place,  and  unless  the  crook  has  been  too  great,  the  tree  shows 
nothing  of  it  by  the  time  it  is  full  grown.  Among  the  specimens 
from  i  to  3  in.  in  diameter,  at  least  half  are  dead  entirely,  or  dead 
at  the  top.  As  the  trees  stand  at  present  each  one  has  a  space  of  about 
seven  feet  square,  though  the  distribution  is  very  irregular. 

The  actual  sizes  of  the  trees  on  the  large  plat  are  as  follows:  63  are  i 
in.  in  diameter;  653,  2  in.;  657,  3  in.;  516,  4  in.;  392,  5  in.;  257,  6  in.; 

I3l>  7 in-;  57> 8  in-;9>  9 in-;  J> I0  in-;  x> ll  in- 

On  the  small  plat  the  trees  are  of  the  following  sizes:  3  are  i  in. 
in  diameter;  1:9,  2  in.;  112,  3  in.;  77,  4  in.;  31,  5  in.;  24,  6  in.;  5,  7  in.; 
4,  8  in.;  i,  9  in. 

At  the  end  of  the  first  year  after  planting,  the  three-year-old  trees 
cost  at  the  rate  of  $160  per  acre,  while  the  plantation  of  two-year-old 
seedlings  cost  $85 — the  difference  coming  from  the  greater  original  cost 
of  the  three-year-old-seedlings  and  the  greater  labor  in  handling  them. 
It  requires  at  least  twice  the  labor  properly  to  plant  a  three-year-old 
tree  of  this  kind  than  it  does  one  a  year  younger.  At  the  present  time 
no  difference  can  be  discerned  in  the  size  of  the  trees. 

BLACK  WALNUT  (Juglansnigra}.  The  nuts  were  planted  in  the 
spring  of  1869,  in  nursery.  There  is,  by  some  inadvertence,  a  break  in 
the  records  concerning  the  transplanting  of  these  trees,  and  the  facts 
connected  therewith,  have  not  been  remembered.  They  were  not  trans- 
ferred until  after  1872,  but  in  the  autumn  of  1875  ^ey  were  over  9  ft* 
in  height,  and  had  been  growing  vigorously  in  their  permanent 
place.  When  transplanted — probably  in  the  spring  of  1873 — quite  a 
number  died,  as  might  be  expected  of  this  variety  at  four  years  of  age. 
They  were  put  into  rows  4  ft.  apart,  2  ft,  in  the  row,  but  the  following 


1893*]  THE    FORESTRY    PLANTATION.  219 

year  were  distributed  so  as  to  make,  as  nearly  as  practicable,  the 
distance  in  the  row  uniformly  four  feet.  They  occupy  three-eighths 
of  an  acre  on  soil  of  good  quality  for  corn. 

In  the  autumn  of  1876  these  trees  were  12  ft.  high  and  ex- 
ceedingly healthy  and  vigorous  in  appearance.  They  were  fairly  well 
cultivated,  and  the  lower  branches  were  trimmed  off  so  as  to  leave  a 
smooth  trunk  4  or  5  ft.  high,  but  since  1878  no  labor  has  been  expended 
upon  them.  In  1886  the  best  of  the  trees  were  37  ft.  high  and  255^  in. 
in  circumference  of  the  trunk.  They  were  making  a  rapid  growth,  with 
straight,  clean  stems  and  fairly  good  amount  of  foliage.  The  latter, 
however,  is  never  so  abundant  as  in  several  other  species.  The  better 
specimens  are  now  8  to  9  in.  in  diameter,  40  to  45  ft.  in  height,  and  most 
of  them  have  fairly  straight  trunks  for  half  to  two-thirds  their  height. 
The  small  trees  (those  running  from  2  to  4  in  )  are  out-topped  and  are 
beginning  to  look  bushy  or  dead  in  the  top.  There  are  now  standing  on 
the  3/%  of  an  acre,  176  trees.  That  does  not  allow  quite  ten  feet 
each  way  for  a  tree.  It  cannot  be  expected  that  trees  standing  so  close 
can  make  the  best  development  long  and  these  will  soon  need  further 
thinning. 

The  sizes  of  the  trees  on  the  plat  are  as  follows:  15  are  2  ins. 
in  diameter;  8,  3  in.;  17,  4  in.;  27,  5  in.;  26,  6  in.;  39,  7  in.;  26,  8  in.; 

J5>  9 in-;  s> io  in- 

There  is  considerable  undergrowth,  consisting  for  the  most  part  of 
shade-loving  weeds  and  grasses,  but  also  various  shrubs  and  climbing 
vines. 

While  these  trees  make  a  rapid  growth,  and  ultimately  reach  a 
great  size,  it  can  hardly  be  claimed  for  them  that  they  stand  at  the  head 
of  the  list  for  timber  purposes.  The  wood  of  old,  well  grown  trees  is 
exceedingly  valuable.  But  it  is  onlv  the  wood  of  large  trunks  that  com- 
mands high  prices.  That  of  young  trees  is  not  specially  prized  for 
anything.  From  seventy-five  to  a  hundred  years  is  not  too  great  an 
estimate  for  the  time  required  for  the  development  of  this  tree  into  a 
product  of  high  commercial  value,  and  who  can  count  upon  the  relative 
value  of  kinds  of  woods  a  century  hence?  Then  these  large  trees  de- 
mand a  large  area  in  which  to  reach  the  majestic  proportions  of  com- 
mercial prominence.  As  shelter  belts  we  have  better  trees,  and  for  fur- 
nishing the  miscellaneous  purposes  of  farm  supply  other  kinds  will  be 
first  selected.  It  is  not,  however,  wished  to  cast  any  discredit  upon  this 
noble  tree — the  most  prominent  representative  abroad  of  our  North 
American  forests.  Its  lofty,  feathery  crown  is  worthily  worn,  and.  no 
doubt,  in  judiciously  mixed  planting  for  timber,  this  regal  tree  should 
have  its  place. 

Box  ELDER  {Negundo  aceroides}.  The  seed  was  planted  in  the 
fall  of  1876  thickly  in  rows  4  ft.  apart,  where  the  trees  were  to 
grow.  The  next  spring  the  rows  were  thinned  with  the  hoe,  so  as  to 
leave  the  seedlings  at  first  one  foot  apart.  Two  years  later  every  other 


220  BULLETIN    NO.    26.  \_May, 

tree  was  removed,  usually  for  transplanting.  Alternate  rows  were  dug 
for  planting  a  part  at  a  time  as  the  trees  were  wanted  from  1881  to 
1884.  During  this  time  the  remaining  rows  were  also  thinned  to  about 
four  feet  between  trees.  The  area  is  about  one-fourth  of  an  acre  in  a 
long  strip  adjoining  the  wet  portion  planted  with  larch.  A  part  of  the 
ground  is  very  wet  in  the  first  part  of  the  season;  one  end  is  moderately 
well  drained.  The  trees  have  done  excellently  well  throughout,  and 
the  block  has  cost  less  in  proportion  to  size  or  number  of  trees  than  any 
other.  The  first  year  cultivation  was  thoroughly  kept  up  during  the 
season,  and  the  second  year  double  shovel  plows  were  run  in  the  rows 
three  or  four  times.  After  this  the  shade  was  sufficient  to  keep  down 
the  weeds,  and  from  that  time  to  the  present  the  ground  has  been  per- 
fectly free  from  any  kind  of  undergrowth. 

The  trees  are  tall  and  slender,  with  clean  trunks  high  above  one's 
head,  and  they  are  remarkably  uniform  in  size  for  such  close  growth. 
While  the  trees  appear  straight  to  the  casual  observer  it  is  almost  im- 
possible to  find  one  that  is  not  crooked.  The  crooks  are  not  short  but 
take  the  form  of  long  curves.  The  size  (ten  years  from  seed)  of  the 
larger  specimens,  was  30  to  31  ft.  in  height  and  16*4  in-  in  circumfer- 
ence. The  larger  specimens  are  now  40  to  45  ft.  in  height  and  6  to  8 
in.  in  diameter  at  one  foot  from  the  ground.  This  plantation  is  in  ap- 
pearance very  excellent,  and,  were  the  wood  worth  anything,  most  valu- 
able results  might  be  anticipated.  The  record  is  worth  consulting  in 
regard  to  groves  and  belts  for  shelter.  The  tree  seems  to  accommodate 
itself  easily  to  its  place.  There  is  a  space  of  about  a  rod  wide  between 
these  trees  and  the  plat  of  larch,  and  the  outside  rows  (and  especially 
the  outside  one)  produce  much  the  larger  trees,  and  the  trees  lean  very 
decidedly  toward  the  open  space.  As  the  trees  are  now  standing  they 
have  a  space  of  less  than  5  ft.  square  each. 

The  sizes  of  the  trees  on  the  plat  are  as  follows:  Forty-nine  are 
i  in.  in  diameter;  93,  2  in.;  85,  3  in.;  105,  4  in.;  72,  5  in.:  50,  6  in.;  20, 
7  in.;  13,8  in.;  2,  9  in. 

BUTTERNUT  (  Juglans  cinerea).  The  nuts  were  planted  in  nursery 
rows  early  in  the  spring  of  1869,  and  when  the  seedlings  were  trans- 
planted two  years  afterward  they  were  15  to  20  in.  high.  Ninety-nine 
per  cent  survived  and  made  an  average  growth  the  first  season  of  6  in. 
At  the  end  of  the  second  year  (four  years  from  seed)  the  average  height 
was  2  ft.  In  the  autumn  of  1876  the  trees  were  10  ft.  6  in.  in  height. 
In  1886  the  better  trees  were  30  ft.  in  height,  with  a  circumference  of 
trunk  of  171^  in.  At  present  (1893)  the  better  trees  are  from  6  to  8  in. 
in  diameter  and  from  38  to  42  ft.  high.  Most  of  them  carry  a  straight 
trunk  as  much  as  three-fourths  of  their  height.  These  trees  for  the 
first  five  years  received  good  cultivation  and  were  twice  trimmed,  taking 
off  the  lower  branches,  which  were  very  heavy  and  spreading.  No 
pruning  has  been  done  among  them  since.  The  lower  branches  have 
been  gradually  smothered  out  and  have  rotted  and  dropped  off  until  now 


1893-]  THE    FORESTRY    PLANTATION.  221 

very  few  of  the  trees  have  any  under  twenty  feet  in  height.  Most  of 
the  trees  that  are  given  in  the  table  as  2  and  3  in.  in  diameter  are  either 
dead  at  the  top  or  are  otherwise  in  very  poor  condition.  As  the  trees 
stand  at  present  they  occupy  only  a  little  more  than  7  ft.  square  each. 

The  sizes  of  the  trees  on  the  plat  are  as  follows:  37  are  2  in.  in 
diameer;  151,  3  in.;  168,  4  in.;  1 18,  5  in.;  46,  6  in.;  21,  7  in.;  6,  8  in.; 
2,  10  in. 

The  soil  is  rather  wet  yet  not  too  much  so  for  corn  growing,  ex- 
cept in  specially  wet  seasons.  Probably  the  trees  would  have  done  bet- 
ter on  drier  land.  As  it  is,  no  kind  except  the  larch  on  wet  land  has 
shown  so  much  disease.  But  there  is  nothing  in  common  with  these 
two  as  to  the  manner  of  destruction.  With  the  larch  the  whole  tree 
assumed  a  sickly  appearance,  growth  became  slow,  the  foilage  thin,  and 
fruit  (cones)  abnormally  produced.  Finally  the  half-dry  branches  failed 
to  respond  to  the  stimulating  influences  of  spring  time  and  death  occurred. 
In  the  case  of  the  butternut  the  difficulty  apparently  began  with  the 
trunk  and  seemed  to  be  due  to  frost.  The  living  bark  was  forcibly 
separated  in  patches  from  the  wood,  or  not  unfrequently  cracks  occurred 
through  bark  and  wood  toward  the  center  of  the  trunk.  In  some  cases, 
however,  patches  of  bark  on  the  trunk  or  larger  limbs  died  without  ap- 
parent separation,  and  various  fungi  afterward  grew  out  of  the  decaying 
parts.  Indeed,  the  trees  seem  to  suffer  just  as  orchard  apple  trees  have 
done  throughout  the  Northwest  during  the  last  decade.  Trees  of  this 
species  are  not  usually  healthy  or  long  lived  in  the  native  woods  of  the 
vicinity.  It  is  not  common  that  good  saw-logs  can  be  had  from  them 
on  account  of  the  irregular  growth  or  unsoundness  of  parts  of  the  trunk. 
In  deeper  woods  on  richer  but  better  drained  land  the  trees  appear  in 
much  better  condition  and  not  unfrequently  free  from  any  apparent 
defects. 

The  widest  spaces  caused  by  the  death  of  trees  as  described  were 
rilled  by  transplanting  from  the  thicker  rows,  but  the  distribution  is  still 
uneven,  and  not  seldom  the  vacant  spaces  are  now  too  wide.  Although 
the  shade  has  never  been  very  dense,  there  is  not  much  undergrowth, 
except  weeds.  Altogether  the  prospect  is  not  favorable  for  this  tree  in 
timber  plantations. 

CATALPA  (Catalpa  bignonioides'}.  This  is  the  southern  or  eastern 
variety,  sometimes  called  the  tender  catalpa.  The  seed  from  which 
the  trees  were  grown  was  gathered  by  Hon.  W.  C.  Flagg,  from  trees 
planted  by  himself  upon  his  farm  at  Moro,  Illinois.  At  this  time 
(1869)  and  for  several  years  afterward  the  distinctions  which  are  now 
known  to  exist  between  trees  of  this  genus  had  not  been  made  out. 
Since  eastern  nurserymen  supplied  the  western  parts  of  the  country 
with  most  of  the  nursery-grown  trees,  and  since  this  tree  produces 
within  six  to  ten  years  an  abundance  of  seed,  it  need  not  be  surprising 
that  even  in  the  areas  in  which  the  hardy  catalpa  naturally  existed  the 
seeds  for  planting  were  mostly  gathered  from  cultivated  trees,  and  so 


222  BULLETIN    NO.    26.  [May, 

from  the  eastern  or  tender  kind.  This  was  the  case  with  Mr.  Flagg 
and  also  with  the  University.  The  catalpas  planted  in  the  early  years 
were  also  of  the  tender  kind. 

This  seed  was  planted  in  the  spring  of  1869  and  the  seedlings  were 
transplanted  2  by  4  ft.  apart  in  1871.  Having  a  crooked  and  much 
branched  top,  this  was  cut  off  near  the  ground  in  the  spring  of 
1872,  and  a  single  shoot  allowed  to  grow  from  each.  This  latter  of  ten 
attained  6  ft.  or  more  in  height  the  first  season  —  a  straight,  clean, 
unbranched  stem.  In  five  years  the  average  height  was  16  ft.  and  the 
average  diameter  of  the  stem  21^  in.  The  height  of  the  better  specimens 
in  1886  was  28  ft.  3  in.,  and  the  circumference  of  trunk  20  to  21  in. 
The  better  specimens  at  the  present  time  are  7  to  9  in.  in  diameter  and  35 
to  38  ft.  in  height.  Very  few  of  them  have  straight  trunks  as  much  as 
ten  feet  in  length,  and  most  of  them  are  so  crooked  that  it  is  hard  to  get 
good  7  ft.  posts  without  considerable  waste.  Taking  crooked  and  straight, 
together  with  what  might  be  split,  the  trees  would  make  an  average  of 
about  four  posts  each.  But  few  of  the  trees  are  perfectly  sound.  By 
actual  count  132  of  the  263  trees  give  evidence  of  being  unsound,  and 
there  are  no  doubt  other  unsound  ones  that  do  not  yet  show  decay  exter- 
nally. None  of  the  trees  have  escaped  injury  by  frost.  Usually  the 
wood  of  certain  annual  growths  of  the  trunk  is  dead  and  decaying 
while  many  of  the  limbs,  not  unfrequently  the  terminal  portion  of  the 
"  leader,"  have  been  killed,  making  the  subsequent  growth  irregular  and 
crooked.  When  the  trees  were  2^  in.  in  diameter  every  other 
one  was  removed  and  used  as  grape  stakes.  They  were  cut  in  the 
spring  and  immediately  driven  into  the  ground  by  the  side  of  a  vine. 
Notwithstanding  the  known  durability  of  this  wood  in  the  earth,  these 
stakes  rotted  so  badly  that  many  had  to  be  replaced  after  the  first  year, 
while  none  lasted  longer  than  three  to  four  years.  But  it  must  be 
remembered  that  the  wood  was  in  part  already  injured  by  winter  killing 
and  that  the  stakes  were  used  while  green.  The  sap  wood  soon 
decays  in  the  earth  under  any  circumstances,  and  since  in  poles  of  this 
size  there  is  a  large  proportion  of  sap,  it  is  to  be  expected  that  such 
stakes  will  soon  become  more  or  less  reduced  by  rot.  But  they  last 
much  longer  if  seasoned  before  setting  in  the  ground  and  especially  if 
cut  in  late  spring  time  when  the  bark  peels  readily. 

Alternate  rows  were  removed  six  years  after  planting.  As  the 
trees  now  stand  each  one  occupies  an  average  of  a  little  more  than  6 
ft.  square.  The  tops  of  all  are  thrifty  and  continue  to  make  good 
growth.  During  the  past  winter  one-fourth  of  the  plat  was  cut  down 
close  to  the  ground  and  the  trees  worked  up  into  posts.  It  is  the  inten- 
tion to  allow  the  trees  to  sprout  and  grow  again  from  the  stump.  The 
sprouts  so  growing  will  probably  make  straighter  trees  than  the  originals. 

The  numbers  and  diameters  of  the  trees  are  as  follows  :  4  are  2  in. 
in  diameter;  34,  4  in.;  71,  5  in.;  6t,  6  in.;  50,  7  in.;  28,  8  in.;  9,  9  in.; 
6,  10  in. 


1893-]  THE    FORESTRY    PLANTATION.  223 

HARDY  CATALPA  (  Catalpa  speciosa).  The  seeds  from  which  these 
trees  came  were  planted  in  nursery  May,  1876.  When  two  years  old 
the  young  trees  were  moved  to  the  permanent  plantation  and  set  in 
rows  8  ft.  apart,  4  ft.  apart  in  the  rows.  From  the  first  these 
seedlings  took  an  upright  growth  quite  different  from  those  of  the 
tender  variety. 

The  land  is  the  highest  and  is  accounted  the  poorest  in  the  planta- 
tion. It  is  the  same  as  that  occupied  by  the  portion  of  the  European 
larch  which  has  succeeded  so  well.  As  was  the  case  with  the  other 
catalpa  all  the  young  trees  grew  —  not  one  died  in  either  case.  Not- 
withstanding the  transplanting  a  growth  4  ft.  in  height  was  made 
the  first  season.  Good  cultivation  was  given  the  first  year,  but 
nothing  was  done  with  trees  or  soil  the  second  season  on  account  of  the 
pressure  of  business  in  other  quarters.  The  third  year  again  the  ground 
was  kept  in  good  order,  after  which  little  attention  was  given  to  it. 

The  trees  continued  to  grow  luxuriantly,  forming  straight  trunks, 
furnished  with  coarse  and  distant,  but  symmetrical  branches.  Not 
a  bud  or  branch  has  been  noticeably  injured  by  frost.  The  aver- 
age height  of  the  better  trees  in  1886  was  17^  ft.,  and  circum- 
ference of  trunk  a  little  over  14  in.  This  was  for  six  years'  growth,  or 
an  average  of  about  3  ft.  increase  in  height  per  year.  Quite  a  num- 
ber of  the  trees  have  been  taken  out  for  transplanting,  leaving  them,  so 
far  as  the  thinning  has  gone,  8  ft.  apart  each  way. 

The  better  trees  now  are  30  to  34  ft.  high  and  7  to  9  in.  in  diam- 
eter at  one  foot  from  the  ground.  Unlike  the  tender  catalpa  these 
decrease  rapidly  in  size  for  the  first  3  or  4  feet.  After  that  they 
carry  their  trunks  straighter  and  hold  their  size  better  than  C.  bignon- 
ioides.  Without  a  more  thorough  examination  than  has  been  made  it 
would  be  impossible  to  tell  the  condition  of  the  timber  in  these  trees; 
but  two  of  what  appeared  to  be  the  best  specimens  (which  were  cut  for 
use  in  a  forestry  exhibit)  were  both  rotten  at  the  heart  from  the  ground 
to  8  or  10  ft.  in  height.  Many  of  the  trees  taken  from  the  same  lot, 
6  to  8  years  ago,  for  transplanting  soon  broke  off  from  one  cause  or 
another  and  all  were  found  to  be  decayed  except  a  thin  outer  shell. 

The  ease  of  propagation,  the  usual  freedom  from  disease  and  injury, 
the  easy  success  in  transplanting,  the  wonderful  rapidity  of  growth, 
the  excellent  form  of  the  tree  and  the  value  of  the  wood  eminently 
distinguish  this  species  as  valuable  for  timber  plantations.  Its  home  is 
upon  rich  "  river  bottoms,"  where  the  trees  attain  a  height  of  So  ft. 
and  a  diameter  of  trunk  of  2  to  3  ft.,  or  equal  to  that  of  the  white 
ash.  But  on  poor  soil  it  is  probable  that  the  mature  tree  will  be  smaller 
than  several  of  the  oaks  and  other  first  class  forest  trees.  From  such 
information  as  we  have  the  tree  cannot  be  said  to  be  especially  long 
lived.  In  the  woods  they  are  often  found  dead  and  often  lying  on  the 
ground.  Of  the  proved  durability  of  the  wood  on  or  in  the  ground, 
too  much  can  hardly  be  said.  Fence  posts  cut  from  old  logs  have 


224  BULLETIN    NO.    26.  [ 

remained  sound  in  wet  ground  forty  years,  and  old  stockades  have  been 
examined  after  double  this  length  of  time  and  the  wood  still  found  free 
from  decay  except  the  slow  wasting  away  of  the  surface  portions.  A 
log  lying  across  a  creek  forming  a  foot-bridge  was  known  by  one  man 
to  have  occupied  its  place  for  sixty  years,  and  his  information  was  that 
at  least  forty  years  before  his  time  the  log  was  used  for  the  same  pur- 
pose. This  log  was  in  1875  cut  *nto  boards  one  inch  thick,  the  widest 
of  which  were  18  in.  of  sound  wood.  The  outer  edges  were  more  or 
less  decayed  and  worm-eaten. 

The  wood  is  soft  and  coarse-grained,  is  easily  worked  and  keeps 
its  shape  well  even  when  cut  green.  For  posts,  piles  and  railroad  ties, 
and  for  some  manufacturing  purposes  it  takes  high  rank,  but  for  fuel  and 
many  special  uses  other  kinds  are  superior. 

The  sizes  of  the  trees  on  the  plat  are  as  follows:  n  are  2  in.  in 
diameter;  5,  3  in.;  ti,  4  in.;  18,  5  in.;  32,  6  in.;  33,  7  in.;  17,  8  in.; 
8,  9  in. 

All  the  trees,  except  those  put  down  as  2  and  3  in.  in  diameter,  are 
vigorous  and  making  a  good  growth. 

RED  CEDAR  (  Juniperus  Virginiana}.  A  few  trees  of  this  species 
were  planted  when  about  three  feet  high  in  the  spring  of  1871,  on 
rather  dry  but  rich  ground.  They  stand  in  two  rows  about  ten  feet 
north  of  blocks  of  other  trees.  They  have  had  except  for  the  first  year 
or  two  but  little  attention.  The  transplanting  succeeded  well;  nearly 
all  the  trees  lived.  They  have  made  a  very  moderate  but  steady  growth, 
not,  however,  appearing  very  luxuriant  or  vigorous.  The  stem  usually 
continues  through  the  head  with,  however,  in  numerous  cases,  compet- 
ing branches.  The  head  itself  is  bushy,  with  close  and  dense  foliage. 
There  is  nothing  of  special  promise  about  them  as  timber  trees  on  our 
soil,  notwithstanding  the  recognized  value  of  the  wood. 

There  are  now  standing  only  46  trees;  the  rest  have  been  cut  down 
or  dug  out  for  various  purposes.  They  vary  in  height  from  18  to  25 
ft.  and  are  from  5  to  7  in.  in  diameter  at  one  foot  from  the  ground,  and 
decrease  rapidly  in  size.  They  would  undoubtedly  be  better  for  closer 
planting  which  would  compel  them  to  run  up  more  slender  and  sooner 
to  lose  their  lower  side  branches. 

CHESTNUT  {Castanea  vesca).  This  has  been  a  failure.  In  1871 
1,360  two-year-old  seedlings  were  planted,  of  which  one-half  died  the 
first  season.  But  the  roots  were  badly  gnawed  by  the  white  grub 
which  existed  that  year  in  great  numbers  in  the  soil,  which  was  kept 
clear  from  other  vegetation  upon  which  the  worms  might  feed.  As  the 
trees  were  first  set  2  by  4  ft.  apart,  an  attempt  was  made  to  make 
the  distribution  uniform  by  transplanting,  but  the  growth  continued 
feeble,  and  all  the  trees  ultimately  died.  The  land  was  high  and  dry 
adjoining  that  upon  which  the  larch  has  so  abundantly  prospered.  A 
few  trees,  however,  which  were  set  in  nursery  survived,  and  after 
becoming  well  established  have  grown  rapidly  and  continue  healthy. 


THE    FORESTRY    PLANTATION.  225 

It  having  been  asserted  that  these  trees  succeeded  better  if  grown 
from  seed  without  transplanting,  the  experiment  was  tried  by  planting, 
in  the  area  first  occupied  by  them,  fresh  nuts  in  the  fall  of  1879.  These 
were  badly  destroyed  by  rats  and  other  vermin,  but  such  as  were  left 
grew  very  satisfactorily  the  following  year.  During  the  first  winter 
rabbits  cut  off  many  of  the  young  stems,  and  some  died.  Growth  con- 
tinued poor,  and  the  number  of  trees  gradually  became  less.  Those  re- 
maining were  transplanted  into  one  row,  and  now  this  remnant  of  the 
lot  are  bushy,  poor  looking,  shrubby  specimens  of  little  promise.  On 
the  other  hand  some  trees  three  or  four  year  old,  received  from  Mr.  C.  N. 
Dennis,  of  Hamilton,  111.,  in  1860,  and  planted  in  the  arboretum,  have 
done  remarkably  well.  They  are  exceedingly  thrifty,  finely  propor- 
tioned, and  gaining  as  fast  as  the  neighboring  ash  and  elms.  No  ex- 
planation is  attempted  of  the  difference.  The  soil  in  the  latter  place 
is  richer.  The  cultivation  was  altogether  better  with  those  first  de- 
scribed. 

AMERICAN  ELM  (  Ulmus  Americana}.  Only  one-eighth  of  an 
acre  is  planted  with  this  common  white,  or  American  elm.  There  are 
four  species  of  elms  native  to  Illinois.  The  largest  and  most  abundant 
is  the  subject  of  this  report.  The  next  largest,  and  also  next  in  usual 
numbers,  is  the  red,  or  slippery  elm,  well  known  for  its  thick  and  muci- 
laginous inner  bark.  The  hickory  elm,  found  in  special  localities  only, 
is  a  medium  or  small  sized  tree,  known,  as  the  common  name  suggests, 
for  its  tough  wood  and  the  peculiar  wing-like  expansion  of  bark  along 
the  branchlets.  The  fourth  species  is  found  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
state  only,  and  from  the  growth  of  bark  on  the  branchlets,  surpassing 
the  latter  in  prominence,  is  called  the  winged  elm.  It  is  scarcely  more 
than  a  tall  shrub. 

Among  these  it  ought  not  to  be  difficult  to  identify  the  species 
with  which  we  are  now  concerned.  Yet  such  are  its  variations;  so  dif- 
ferent the  appearance  of  trunk,  branches,  and  foliage;  so  diverse  the 
characteristics  of  wood;  and  withal  so  many  the  woodman's  names,  that 
many  hesitate  to  put  all  forms  and  kinds  together  as  one  species.  Of 
the  specific  unity,  however,  there  can  be  no  question.  Many  of  the  ob- 
served differences  are  due  to  the  surrounding  conditions,  as  of  very  wet 
and  of  dry  soil,  of  the  chemical  or  physical  characteristics  of  the  latter, 
of  the  sweep  of  winds,  etc.  But  there  is  also  great  natural  variation  in 
the  individual  trees  when  grown  under  conditions  as  nearly  identical  as 
it  is  possible  to  get  them  in  a  group  or  along  an  avenue.  It  is  entirely 
probable  that  seed  from  individual  trees  of  such  species  reproduces  the 
characteristics  of  the  parent.  Plants  that  have  not  been  changed  under 
cultivation  come  more  nearly  true  from  seed  than  those  that  have  been 
changed.  There  are  comparatively  few  elm  trees  that  are  perfect  in 
shape. 

The  seedlings  were  two  years  old  when,  in  1871,  they  were  placed 
2  by  4  feet  apart  in  the  plantation.  All  lived  and  grew  rapidly. 


226  BULLETIN    NO.    26. 

As  they  became  large  enough  for  the  purpose,  the  most  of  those  to  be 
removed  for  thinning  were  dug  for  transplanting.  The  better  trees 
measured  in  1886  a  little  over  28  ft.  in  height  and  15  in.  in  circumference 
of  trunk.  These  at  present  are  45  to  48  ft.  in  height  and  have 
a  diameter  of  trunk  at  one  foot  from  the  ground  of  7  to  9  in.  Of 
those  put  down  in  the  table  below  as  I  to  3  in.  in  diameter,  most  have  a 
stunted  appearance  and  some  of  them  are  nearly  dead.  The  better  ones 
have  nearly  straight  trunks,  free  from  limbs  20  to  25  ft.  in  height.  The 
shade  is  dense  enough  to  keep  down  most  of  the  undergrowth  except 
what  grows  naturally  in  the  shade.  As  the  trees  now  stand  they  have 
a  space  of  less  than  8  ft.  square. 

The  sizes  of  the  trees  in  the  plat  are  as  follows;  2  are  i  in.  in  diame- 
ter; 22,  2  in.;  13,  3  in.;  8,  4  in.;  15,  5  in.;  14,  6in.;  n,  7  in.;  4,  8  in.; 
6,  9  in.;  3,  10  in.;  2,  1 1  in.  This  is  far  less  than  the  same  trees  measure 
planted  along  streets  50  ft.  distant  from  each  other.  Even  some  of  those 
transplanted  from  these  very  rows  are  now  twice  the  average  size  of  their 
thickly  set  companions.  This  seems  to  show  that  the  elm  does  not  bear 
crowding  well,  at  least  by  its  own  kindred.  As  a  timber  tree  little  can  be 
said  in  its  favor,  however  much  we  may  admire  it  for  ornamental  pur- 
poses. There  are  special  uses  for  its  fine-grained,  interlocked,  fibrous 
wood,  but  the  demand  is  limited  and  uncertain. 

HICKORIES  ( Carya  alba  and  C.  sulcata.)  Nuts  were  collected  of  these 
two  kinds,  known  as  the  small-fruited  and  the  large-fruited  shell-barks,  in 
the  autumn  of  1879,  anc*  at  once  planted  in  the  forest-tree  rows.  Some 
of  the  nuts  were  destroyed  by  vermin,  but  the  most  of  them  germinated 
and  grew  the  following  spring,  making,  however,  small  progress  during 
the  summer.  During  the  first  winter,  and  to  some  extent,  afterward, 
many  of  the  young  trees  were  cut  off  by  rabbits.  These,  however, 
usually  sprouted  out  again  from  the  stump. 

The  hickory  is  naturally  of  slow  growth  when  young,  and  the 
trees  are  on  land  that  is  comparatively  poor,  high,  and  dry.  In  the 
spring  of  1883,  the  rows  as  planted  were  thinned  out  and  the  trees 
taken  up  were  planted  in  rows  8  ft.  apart  and  4  ft.  apart  in  the  row. 
Considerable  care  was  taken  with  the  young  trees  both  in  digging  and 
setting.  The  tap  root  was  taken  up  from  16  to  20  in.  long  and  but 
little  loss  occurred  from  moving.  The  transplanted  trees  as  well  as  the 
others  were  cultivated  for  two  years;  since  then  they  have  received  no 
attention  except  to  prune  off  the  lower  branches  in  1890.  In  1886,  the 
trees  that  had  not  been  removed  were  from  4  to  8  ft.  high,  twice 
as  tall  as  those  that  were  reset.  At  present  the  trees  not  transplanted 
stand  4  ft.  apart  each  way  and  are  all  making  a  good  vigorous 
growth;  the  better  ones  are  15  to  18  ft.  high  and  from  2  to  3  in.  in 
diameter. 

The  better  ones  of  the  transplanted  trees  are  10  to  12  ft.  high  and 
comparatively  few  of  them  exceed  2  in.  in  diameter. 

The  sizes  of  the  trees  in  the   plat    are    as   follows:     Hickories  not 


1893-]  THE    FORESTRY    PLANTATION.  227 

transplanted,  46   under   i    in.;  252,  i   in.;  63,  2   in.;   5,  3   in.;  hickories 
transplanted,  109  under  i  in. 5364,  I  in.;  37,  2  in. 

The  land,  as  before  stated,  is  high  and  dry  and  the  soil  is  poor. 
This  is  one  reason  for  the  slow  growth,  but  the  ailanthus  and  hardy 
catalpa,  on  the  same  soil,  have  shown  remarkable  vigor.  As  between 
the  two  hickories,  the  large-fruited  one  has  surpassed  the  other,  though 
it  is  more  often  found  on  lower  land. 

HONEY  LOCUST  ( Gleditschia  triacanthos).  Two-year-old  seed- 
lings were  planted,  4  by  8  ft.  apart,  in  the  spring  of  1882.  At  the  time 
of  planting  the  trees  were  4  to  5  ft.  in  height,  and  were  not  cut  back  in 
any  way.  In  1886  the  better  trees  were  18  ft.  high  and  65^  in.  in 
circumference.  At  present  they  are  28  to  32  ft.  high  and  4  to  5  in. 
in  diameter.  All  of  them  look  very  crooked  and  if  they  did  not 
straighten  up  as  they  grew  older  they  would  be  a  worthless  lot  ;  but 
the  trunks  and  larger  branches  seem  actually  to  bend  in  their  effort  to 
straighten,  so  that  a  branch  this  year  does  not  occupy  the  same  position 
absolutely  that  it  did  last. 

This  tree  attains  lofty  dimensions  in  native  woodlands,  but  is  not 
highly  esteemed.  The  wood  is  coarse-grained,  not  tough,  but  exceed- 
ingly hard.  It  is  said  that  it  shrinks  less  in  drying  than  any  other 
native  wood.  It  is  not  very  durable  when  subject  to  moisture.  There 
may  be  special  uses  for  which  the  hard  and  conspicuously  grained  wood 
would  be  highly  prized.  It  is  susceptible  of  a  fine  polish,  and  prob- 
ably could  be  advantageously  used  in  furniture  making  and  in  joinery. 

The  sizes  of  the  trees  on  the  plat  are  as  follows:  71  are  i  in.  in 
diameter ;  1 64,  2  in. ;  95,  3  in. ;  3 1 ,  4  in. ;  1 1 ,  5  in. ;  4,  6  in. 

EUROPEAN  LARCH  {Larix  Europced}.  One  and  one-fourth  acres 
were  planted;  rows  four,  and  trees  in  rows  two  feet  apart.  The  land 
varies  much  in  fertility  and  in  subterranean  drainage.  One-half  of  the 
area  is  relatively  high,  and  in  the  soil  no  water  stands  within  several 
feet  of  the  surface  at  any  time  of  the  year,  at  least  not  for  many  days  at  a 
time.  This  soil  is  too  poor  to  grow  a  fair  crop  of  corn,  but  would 
answer  satisfactorily  for  oats.  The  subsoil  is  yellow  clay,  with  enough 
admixture  of  sand  to  make  drainage  fairly  good.  The  northern  end  of 
the  area  reaches  down  into  lower  land,  where  water  would  run  from 
a  tile  drain  during  a  large  part  of  the  spring  and  early  summer,  though 
it  does  not  stand  upon  the  surface.  Sometimes  in  the  spring  the  wettest 
portion  is  so  soft  that  a  horse's  feet  would  sink  three  or  four  inches  in 
the  black  and  rather  mucky  soil.  The  seedlings  were  one  year  old 
when  planted  in  the  spring  of  1871.  During  the  first  year  three-fourths 
of  these  died,  more  dying  upon  the  high  than  upon  the  low  ground.  All 
started  well,  but  the  roots  were  badly  damaged  by  the  white  grub- 
worm,  and  the  season  proved  to  be  very  dry;  during  August  the 
dead  or  dying  numbered  more  than  the  thrifty  trees.  Cultivation  was 
diligently  kept  up  during  the  summer. 

The  next  spring  4,000  more  seedlings  were  purchased  and  planted 


228 


BULLETIN    NO.    26. 


[May, 


1893.]  THE    FORESTRY    PLANTATION.  229 

in  the  rows,  leaving  no  spaces  of  more  than  four  feet.  In  this  way  the 
distribution  of  the  trees  was  not  quite  even  over  the  ground,  but  was 
sufficiently  so  to  accomplish  the  object  of  thick  planting.  Again  the 
grub-worm  did  some  damage  to  the  roots,  but  far  less  than  during  the 
preceding  season;  none  was  noticed  afterwards.  Nearly  all  the  trees 
lived  and  made  a  fair  growth.  Cultivation  was  kept  up  during  the 
summers  of  1872,  1873,  and  1874;  but  in  1875  t*16  ^anc^  was  so  wet 
during  the  spring  and  early  summer  that  it  was  deemed  best  not  to  run 
the  plows.  The  weeds  grew  abundantly  and  made  a  bad  appearance, 
but  they  did  not  seem  to  injure  materially  the  growth  of  the  trees.  At 
the  end  of  this  season,  however,  it  was  observed  that  the  trees  occupy- 
ing the  wettest  portions  of  the  ground  looked  unhealthy  and  many  were 
found  entirely  dead  the  following  spring  (1876).  Up  to  this  time  they 
had  apparently  done  nearly  as  well  on  the  low  as  upon  the  higher  land. 
Finding  that  the  trees,  now  five  years  planted,  needed  thinning  where 
two  feet  apart,  a  considerable  number  were  dug  and  planted  in  the 
vacant  spaces.  Most  of  these  transplanted  trees  lived  and  grew  without 
serious  check,  but  from  this  time  on  those  on  the  low  ground  proved 
more  or  less  unhealthy.  The  trees  which  lived  had  less  than  the  normal 
amount  of  foliage,  which  was  usually  yellowish  in  tint;  the  branches  were 
slender  and  wiry,  and  fruit-cones  were  abundantly  developed.  More  or 
less  of  the  trees  have  died  every  year  until  at  present,  1893,  there  are  not 
quite  one-fourth  as  many  trees  on  a  given  area  as  on  the  higher  ground. 
The  roots  on  the  low  ground  run  near  the  surface,  with  apparently  no 
tap  roots.  During  the  spring  just  past  at  least  ten  trees,  better  than  the 
average  in  appearance,  have  been  blown  down  on  the  low  ground,  but 
ampng  the  taller  trees  on  the  higher  ground  none  have  been  disturbed 
by  the  winds.  While  there  are  a  considerable  number  of  trees  on  this 
lower  ground  still  living,  the  plantation  is  anything  but  attractive  or 
hopeful  in  appearance.  On  the  higher  ground,  however,  scarcely  a  tree, 
except  such  as  have  been  out-topped,  has  died  or  shown  any  indication 
of  unhealthfulness. 

In  1876  the  trees  in  two  of  the  central  rows  were  trimmed  by  cut- 
ting off  the  lower  branches  so  as  to  leave  a  clean  trunk  2^  to  3  ft. 
high.  The  rest  of  the  trees  were  left  untrimmed,  with  their 
branches  issuing  from  very  near  the  ground  and  spreading  so  as  to 
interlace  with  each  other.  The  average  height  of  the  trees  was  at  this 
time  10  ft.  These  trimmed  rows  cannot  now  be  picked  out,  except 
upon  the  closest  looking  for  the  few  remaining  dead  branches  on  those 
not  trimmed,  and  an  occasional  appearance  of  the  old  wounds.  But 
during  three  succeeding  years  the  growth  in  height  of  the  trimmed 
trees  was  evidently  less,  and  no  doubt  careful  measurements  would  have 
shown  a  similar  result  for  the  circumference  of  the  trunks.  Unfortu- 
nately such  measurements  were  not  made.  Now  the  variation  in  growth 
in  other  ways  obscures  the  results,  if  there  are  any. 


230 


BULLETIN    NO.    26. 


[May 


1893-]  THE    FORESTRY    PLANTATION.  23! 

Except  in  the  outer  rows  there  are  no  living  branches  under  20  to 
30  ft.  in  height.  The  dead  branches  do  not  rot  and  drop  off  readily, 
being  kept  from  rotting  by  the  large  amounts  of  resin  in  them,  but  they 
are  easily  broken  off.  During  the  winter  just  past  the  whole  plat  has 
been  trimmed  to  a  height  of  10  ft.,  only  stopping  at  that  because  the 
man  could  not  reach  higher  with  the  tool  he  was  using. 

In  the  winter  of  1883-84  a  heavy  sleet  storm  broke  the  leaders  out 
of  a  few  of  the  trees.  While  those  broken  off  have  made  new  leaders, 
they  have  also  started  to  decay  where  broken. 

During  the  winter  of  1877  and  1878,  alternate  rows  were  removed 
by  cutting  the  trees  near  the  ground.  Since  the  spring  of  1889  over 
100  of  these  trees,  those  below  the  average  size,  have  been  cut  down 
and  made  into  fence  posts  or  grape  stakes.  The  trial  has  not  continued 
long  enough  to  decide,  but  the  indications  are  that  the  larch  will  not 
prove  specially  valuable  for  such  uses. 

Since  1880  the  ground  has  been  entirely  free  from  weeds,  owing 
to  the  dense  shade  of  the  inwoven  branches  and  the  thick  carpet  of 
fallen  leaves.  This  plantation  on  the  high  ground  is  a  beautiful  and 
encouraging  sight.  The  trees  are  quite  regular  in  size,  symmetrical  in 
growth,  tall  and  straight,  with  the  lower  limbs  wasted  away  so  that  one 
walks  easily  under  the  thick  canopy  of  foilage  above,  and  on  the  soft 
and  clean  matting  of  the  fine  leaves  below.  The  height  of  the  better 
trees  in  1886  was  33  ft.  9  in.  and  the  circumference  of  trunk  one  foot 
from  the  ground  24^  in.  At  the  present  time  they  are  50  to  55  ft.  in 
height  and  from  7  to  9  in.  in  diameter  at  one  foot  from  the  ground. 
There  is  not  much  difference  in  height  on  account  of  place  in  the  plan- 
tation, but  the  trees  around  the  outside  are  usually  considerably  larger  in 
diameter  of  trunk. 

The  outer  part  of  each  annual  ring  becomes  very  hard  when  the 
timber  is  seasoned,  while  the  rest  remains  soft.  It  does  not  have 
the  appearance  of  being  valuable  for  lumber  except  for  the  coarsest 
uses,  such  as  framing  stuff.  No  tests  have  yet  been  made  as  to  the 
quality  of  the  wood  as  grown  on  the  different  soils,  though  there  can 
be  little  doubt  that  considerable  difference  does  exist. 

Some  plantations  of  the  European  larch  in  the  state  are  unthrifty, 
due,  as  it  appears,  to  an  obscure,  or  at  least  not  yet  determined,  disease. 
The  twigs  are  abnormally  slender  and  the  growth  poor,  the  leaves  die 
at  any  time  after  appearing,  progressively  from  the  outer  portions,  and 
prematurely  fall.  Often  new  ones  are  pushed  out  in  little  tufts, 
soon  to  share  the  same  fate;  finally  the  twigs  themselves  die.  As  stated 
the  cause  or  causes  of  the  disease,  if  indeed  it  is  a  disease,  have  not  been 
ascertained.  But  the  trouble  has  not  been  certainly  seen  in  the  Univer- 
sity plantation,  though  indications  of  a  mild  form  of  what  seems  to  be 
the  same  exists  without  damaging  results.  Early  in  October — a  month 
before  the  leaves  ought  to  become  discolored  and  fall — what  seems  to 
be  another  disease  has  been  observed.  In  this  case  the  leaves  assume  a 


232  BULLETIN  NO.  26.  \May , 

sickly  yellow  hue  and  gradually  drop  from  the  branches,  leaving  the 
twigs  naked  but  apparently  uninjured.  A  minute  fungus  of  low  type 
(  Cladosporium)  is  found  on  these  fading  leaves,  even  after  a  long  sea- 
son of  fair  and  dry  weather,  but  it  cannot  be  said  that  the  low  parasite 
is  the  cause  of  the  trouble,  from  which  the  tree  appears  to  suffer  but 
little.  Red  spiders  (mites)  sometimes  become  destructive  to  the  foliage 
of  the  larch,  as  they  do,  in  warm,  dry  weather,  to  the  leaves  of  many 
other  trees.  (See  i4th  report  Illinois  State  Entomologist  [1884], 
page  117.) 

This  larch  finds  a  congenial  home  in  high  mountainous  regions  and 
is  especially  valuable  as  a  timber  tree  in  the  rough,  rocky  lands  of  Scot- 
land. It  is  on  trial  now  for  the  prairie  regions  of  our  country.  While 
the  facts  now  known  of  it  in  these  situations  are  not  by  any  means  all 
favorable,  the  University  plantation  on  dry  ground  is  certainly  in  most 
excellent  condition,  twenty-two  years  after  planting,  and  the  experi- 
ment appears  to  be  eminently  interesting  and  instructive  as  well  as 
hopeful  for  practically  valuable  results  in  timber  growing. 

BASSWOOD  OR  LINDEN  (  Tilia  Americana.}  The  seedlings  were 
collected  in  the  forest  in  the  spring  of  1876.  It  was  not  the  intention 
at  first  to  put  them  into  the  plantation,  hence  they  were  allowed  to  grow 
longer  in  nursery  than  should  have  been  done  for  this  purpose.  As  it 
was,  however,  the  smallest  trees  had  been  left  in  the  nursery  rows,  and 
these  were  transferred  to  the  forest  in  1881,  placed  4  by  8  ft.  apart. 

In  1886,  the  better  trees  were  17  to  18  ft.,  and  8^  in.  in  circum- 
ference of  trunk.  Now,  1893,  they  are  26  to  28  ft.  in  height  and  4  to 
5  in.  in  diameter.  A  considerable  proportion  of  the  trees  have  been 
broken  or  otherwise  injured,  and  that  causes  them  to  sprout  badly  around 
the  bottom,  otherwise  they  are  well  formed  and  are  making  a  healthy 
vigorous  growth.  The  trees  were  cultivated  and  kept  in  good  shape 
for  the  first  two  years  after  planting,  but  since  then  have  received  no 
care. 

The  sizes  of  the  trees  on  the  plat  are  as  follows:  24  are  i  in.  in 
diameter;  54,  2  in.;  89,  5  in.;  44,  4  in.;  17,  5  in.;  I,  6  in. 

HARD  MAPLE  {Acer  saccharinum}.  Seedlings — 6toi2in.  high — 
were  collected  in  the  woods  in  the  spring  of  1870,  and  were  placed 
in  nursery  rows.  Though  they  had  been  pulled  from  the  light  soil  of 
the  woods,  and  were  well  in  leaf,  nearly  all  lived  and  grew.  However, 
for  the  first  six  to  ten  years  the  growth  of  this  tree  is  very  slow,  even 
in  rich  soil,  where  alone  it  thrives.  After  three  years  in  the  nursery 
some  of  the  trees  were  transferred  to  the  forest  and  set  2  by  4  ft. 
apart.  Others  were  transplanted  in  the  nursery  and  kept  there  until  1877, 
when  they  were  placed  4  by  8  ft.  apart  in  the  forest. 

There  has  been  considerable  call  for  these  trees  for  streets,  etc.,  and 
the  block  has  been  thinned  to  about  8  ft.  each  way  between  trees 
by  digging  from  time  to  time  for  transplanting.  In  this  way  the  hard 
maple  has  credited  to  it  more  than  any  other  species.  Yet  this  is  a 


1893-  THE    FORESTRY    PLANTATION.  233 

temporary  and  local  circumstance,  which  must  not  betaken  as  of  general 
application. 

The  small  trees  first  planted  were  so  slow  in  growth,  and  care  was 
so  long  required,  that  they  cost  more  in  the  handling  and  management 
than  did  those  left  in  the  nursery  a  longer  time.  Under  ordinary  cir- 
cumstances, it  is  no  doubt  best  to  give  the  forest-collected  seedlings 
about  three  years  in  close  rows,  then  to  transplant  them  in  nursery  with 
wider  spaces,  to  remain  three  or  four  years  longer;  then  to  transfer  to 
the  forest.  It  would  be  difficult  for  any  one  now  to  detect  the  dif- 
ference in  shape  and  size  of  trunk  of  those  originally  set  2  by  4.  ft. 
apart  and  those  later  planted  from  the  nursery  8  ft.  distant. 

All  the  trees,  either  in  the  nursery  or  afterward  in  the  forest,  had  the 
side  limbs  removed  from  time  to  time,  and  this  certainly  added 
to  the  temporary  appearance  of  the  trees  for  timber  purposes  and  is  es- 
sential for  ornamental  purposes,  but  is  really  of  doubtful  expediency 
in  practical  forestry,  except  to  prevent  forking. 

The  land  upon  which  these  trees  are  growing  is  as  rich  as  that  of 
any  of  the  plantation,  and  fairly  good  for  corn,  but  sometimes  too  wet 
for  early  planting  to  this  crop.  The  trees  are  now  growing  rapidly, 
making  clean,  straight,  beautiful  trunks,  fairly  furnished  with  branches. 
The  shade  is  less  dense  than  that  of  the  soft  maple  plat,  but  mostly  on 
account  of  the  smaller  size  and  less  crowded  condition  of  the  trees. 
The  shade  being  so  long  in  developing,  many  trees  and  shrubs, 
like  cherries  and  raspberries,  gained  considerable  footing,  while  weeds 
and  grasses  were  not  entirely  overpowered.  Later  much  of  the  under- 
growth has  been  crowded  out.  The  height  of  the  better  trees  in  1 886 
was  about  22  ft.,  with  a  circumference  of  trunk  of  9  in.  At  present, 
1893,  they  are  28  to  32  ft.  in  height  and  4  to  5  in.  in  diameter.  In  the 
first  ten  years  after  planting  in  the  forest  the  gain  in  height  was  nearly 
20  ft.  In  the  past  7  years  the  gain  has  been  about  10  ft. 

The  sizes  of  the  trees  on  the  plat  are  as  follows:  4  are  i  in.  in 
diameter;  34,  2  in.;  43,  3  in.;  62,  4  in.;  28,  5  in.;  4,  6  in. 

This  shows  good  results  and  indicates  that  more  attention  ought  to 
be  paid  to  the  hard  maple  in  artificial  timber  growing.  The  wood  is  in 
demand  at  good  prices  for  the  finer  uses,  such  as  furniture,  building,  im- 
plements, etc.  Too  much  consideration  has  evidently  been  given  to  its 
slow  growth  at  the  beginning.  Its  beauty  as  an  ornamental  tree  is 
commonly  appreciated  and  acknowledged. 

SOFT  MAPLE  (Acer  dasycarpum}.  One-fourth  of  an  acre,  in  a 
strip  twenty  rods  long,  was  planted  with  three-year-old  trees  of  this 
variety,  two  by  four  feet  apart.  Nearly  all  the  trees  lived  and  made  an 
average  growth  the  first  year  of  about  one  foot  in  height.  They  have 
grown  very  rapidly  each  season  since.  Being  larger  when  transplanted, 
and  furnishing  almost  at  once  considerable  shade,  the  ground  was  more 
easily  kept  in  order  than  for  most  others.  Cultivation  was,  however,  kept 
up  three  years,  and  there  was  some  needless  pruning  the  second  year. 


234  BULLETIN  NO.  26.  [May, 

The  only  thing  done  with  this  block  since  1874  has  been  to  thin  to  four 
feet  in  the  rows  and  to  remove  alternate  rows,  the  latter  in  the  fall 
of  1876.  From  the  low  stumps  some  straggling  shoots  have  grown; 
otherwise  the  shade  keeps  down  nearly  all  undergrowth.  The  trees 
prune  themselves,  and  the  dead  branches  soon  fall  and  decay.  The 
trunks  are  very  tall  and  straight,  of  nearly  uniform  height,  but  vary  a 
good  deal  in  diameter.  The  difference  in  the  size  (diameter)  of  the  out- 
side trees  and  those  surrounded  on  every  side  by  others  is  very  striking. 
These  trees  cast  the  densest  shade  of  any  of  the  deciduous  trees,  with  the 
possible  exception  of  the  box  elder,  so  that  not  only  are  the  various 
shrubs  and  weeds  nearly  excluded,  but  the  trees  crowd  inexorably 
upon  one  another.  In  1886  the  better  trees  of  this  species  were  42  to  44 
ft.  in  height,  with  a  circumference  at  one  foot  from  the  ground  of  about 
23  in.  At  present  the  better  specimens  have  a  height  of  50  to  55  ft.  and 
a  diameter  of  9  to  n  in.,  in  one  case  reaching  18  in.  The  trees  still 
stand  quite  thick,  having  an  average  of  less  than  6  ft.  sq.  each,  if  only 
the  area  intended  to  be  planted  by  them  is  taken  into  account.  But,  as 
there  are  no  trees  planted  along  one  side  and  one  end,  the  outside 
row,  in  which  the  largest  trees  are  found,  has  considerably  more  space 
on  which  to  grow. 

The  sizes  of  the  trees  on  the  plat  are  as  follows:  Fifty-six  are 
3  in.  in  diameter;  42,4  in.;  41,5  in.;  38,6  in.;  26,7  in.;  20,8  in.; 
24,  9  in.;  23,  10  in.;  10,  n  in.;  5,  12  in.;  3,  13  in.;  3,  14  in.;  i,  15  in.; 
i,  18  in. 

When  grown  as  street  trees,  subject  to  bruises  and  wounds,  or  on 
account  of  any  serious  check  in  their  progress,  wood  and  bark  borers  are 
very  common  in  the  trunks,  where  they  do  much  damage.  But  in  the 
forest  plantation  not  a  sign  of  these  depredators  existed  up  to  six  years 
ago.  At  that  time  the  soft  maple  plat  was  fenced  off,  making  it  a  part 
of  a  pasture  field.  Since  then  there  have  been  some  trees  damaged  by 
cattle  rubbing  against  them  and  tramping  about  the  roots,  and  the  borers 
have  begun  to  make  their  appearance. 

BUR  OAK  {Quercus  macrocarpa}.  In  the  fall  of  1879  acorns  of 
white  and  bur  oak  were  planted  as  soon  as  gathered,  but  from  lack  of 
proper  treatment  were  all  lost  soon  after  they  started  to  grow.  Two 
years  afterward  a  quantity  of  bur  oak  acorns  was  gathered  and  at  once 
planted  in  nursery  rows.  These  grew  well  the  following  season.  In  the 
spring  of  1884  the  tap  roots  were  cut  with  a  sharp  spade,  the  earth  hav- 
ing first  been  plowed  away  on  one  side  of  the  row.  The  next  spring 
the  young  oaks,  two  to  three  feet  high,  were  successfully  transferred  to 
the  forest,  where  they  are  again  making  very  satisfactory  growth. 
During  the  season  of  1890  many  of  the  trees  made  growths  of  3  to  4  ft. 
in  height.  The  next  year  the  leaves  were  badly  attacked  by  a  fungous 
disease,  and  the  growth  of  the  trees  was  much  less,  but  few  of  them 
making  as  much  as  two  feet.  It  is  of  course  impossible  to  say  how 
much  of  this  is  due  to  disease,  and  how  much  to  difference  of  season. 


1893-]  THE    FORESTRY    PLANTATION.  235 

There  was  but  little  disease  during  the  season  of  1892,  and  yet  the 
growth  of  the  trees  was  but  little  more  than  in  1891. 

OSAGE  ORANGE  {Madura  aurantica.)  Two-year-old  seedlings 
were  planted  two  by  four  feet  apart  in  the  spring  of  1871.  After  the 
end  of  the  first  season  they  were  two  feet  high,  all  living  and  promising. 
The  location  was  well  adapted  to  the  habits  of  the  tree,  except  that  the 
catalpa  crowded  upon  them  on  one  side  and  apple  trees  upon  the  other. 
The  soil  is  good  corn  land,  not  usually  too  wet  for  early  planting.  In 
1876  (six  seasons'  growth)  these  trees  averaged  13  ft.  6  in.  high,  and 
during  the  last  year  had  gained  from  three  to  four  feet.  Taking  into 
account  the  well-known  value  of  the  wood,  it  then  appeared,  and  was  so 
stated  in  a  report  upon  the  plantation,  that  the  Osage  orange  gave  every 
indication  of  standing  first  upon  the  list  of  timber  trees.  As  a  farm 
hedge  plant  its  superiority  had  been  fully  established,  and  single  trees 
had  often  been  observed  to  grow  into  valuable  size  with  satisfactory 
rapidity. 

After  the  stems  have  a  diameter  of  3  in.  they  are  highly  prized  for 
stakes,  proving  very  strong  and  exceedingly  durable.  With  increase  in 
size  the  value  likewise  increases  for  posts,  paving-blocks,  etc.,  and  finally 
for  various  manufacturing  purposes.  No  other  wood  serves  so  well  for 
wagons.  For  turned  handles  and  other  purposes  where  fineness  of 
grain,  hardness,  and  great  strength  are  esteemed,  the  wood  is  especially 
valuable.  Added  to  these  uses  is  that  of  fuel.  The  osage  surpasses 
hickory  and  maple  in  this  respect. 

With  such  characteristics,  combined  with  rapidity  of  growth,  adapt- 
ability to  our  soils,  entire  freedom  from  injurious  insects,  etc.,  there 
is  little  wonder  that  the  species  should  take  first  rank  among  timber 
trees.  But  it  is  always  easy  to  reach  conclusions  too  soon.  The  later 
experience  with  this  block  in  the  experimental  plantation  falls  below  the 
anticipated  results.  About  eight  years  after  planting,  the  growth  became 
much  less  rapid,  and  at  this  time  the  trees  were  slender,  with  long,  strag- 
gling branches.  In  1876  the  average  diameter  of  the  stems  near  the 
ground  was  recorded  as  i^  in.  In  1886  the  average  height  is  23  ft., 
and  the  average  circumference  of  stems  13  in.  Compare  this  with  the 
larch,  over  33  ft.  high  and  24  in.  in  circumference  of  trunk. 

At  the  present  time — 1893 — the  better  trees  are  28  to  30  ft.  in  height 
and  from  5  to  6  in.  in  diameter.  A  few  of  them  have  comparatively 
straight  trunks,  15  to  20  ft.  high,  and  most  of  the  trees  would  make 
three  good  posts  each.  In  March  of  the  present  year,  one-fourth  of  the 
plat  was  cut  down,  with  the  expectation  of  allowing  the  trees  to  grow 
again  from  the  stump.  The  trees — forty-seven  of  them — made  116 
posts  that  have  sold  readily  at  10  cents  each.  The  rest  of  the  plat  is 
better  than  the  part  cut.  The  trunks  and  main  branches  have  evidently 
grown  straighter  with  age,  though  they  still  give  but  poor  promise  of 
making  valuable  timber  trees  in  this  latitude.  However,  their  great  du- 
rability in  the  ground  makes  them  valuable  as  posts,  and  it  is  a  question 


236  BULLETIN    NO.    26.  [May , 

if  it  would  not  be  worth  while  for  farmers  to  grow  small  areas  of  them 
for  this  purpose  alone.  Like  the  elm  and  some  others,  the  crowding  in 
a  close  plantation  seems  to  injure  the  development  of  the  individual  tree; 
but  unless  they  are  crowded,  they  make  a  very  short  trunk,  which  is 
soon  lost  in  the  branches.  If  they  were  judiciously  mixed  with  other 
kinds,  it  is  quite  likely  that  better  results  would  be  obtained. 

Cultivation  was  kept  "up  for  the  first  four  years,  and  during  this 
time  the  side  branches  were  kept  trimmed  off  to  facilitate  the  work  to 
be  done.  The  trees,  though  irregular  in  size,  are  no  more  so  than  most 
of  the  other  kinds.  While  there  is  considerable  undergrowth  of  other 
trees  and  weeds,  there  is  not  so  much  as  under  either  the  ash  or  walnut. 

The  sizes  of  the  trees  on  the  plat  are  as  follows:  Three  are  3  in.  in 
diameter;  40,  3  in.;  42,  4  in.  ;  43,  5  in.;  16,  6  in.;  8,  7  in.:  3,  8  in. 

AUSTRIAN  PINE  (  Pinus  Austriaca).  These  trees  occupy  a  strip  of 
land  26  rods  long,  36  ft.  wide,  comprising  about  3/%  of  an  acre.  The  land 
slopes  slightly  to  the  north;  the  soil  is  good  and  the  drainage  sufficient 
in  an  ordinary  season,  for  successful  corn  growing.  The  first  planting 
was  done  in  the  spring  of  1871,  the  trees  were  set  4  ft.  apart  each  way. 
The  young  trees,  9  to  12  in.  high,  had  been  grown  in  the  University  nur- 
sery, in  shaded  beds.  Nearly  all  the  trees  died  the  first  year.  These  were 
replanted  in  1872,  and  again  a  large  proportion  died.  Nearly  all  the 
spaces  were  finally  filled,  however,  in  1873.  Cultivation  was  kept  up 
until  1875,  after  which  time  the  weeds  were  mowed  for  three  seasons. 

After  gaining  a  hold  on  the  soil  the  young  trees  began  to  grow 
very  thriftily.  In  September,  1875,  the  average  height  was  2  ft.  8  in. 
A  year  later  they  were  4  ft.  8  in.  high.  No  thinning  or  pruning  was 
done  on  them  until  the  winter  of  1890-91.  During  that  winter  the  dead 
branches  were  trimmed  off  to  a  height  of  8  to  10  ft. — as  high  as  a  man 
could  conveniently  reach  with  an  ax.  The  dead  branches  were  not  all 
taken  off  at  that  time,  and  they  have  died  since,  until  there  is  now  an 
average  height  of  about  fifteen  feet,  on  which  none  are  living. 

At  the  same  time  the  pruning  was  done  seventy-three  dead  trees  were 
cut  out.  These  were  principally  such  as  had  been  overgrown,  but  some 
had  evidently  died  from  other  causes.  There  are  now  standing  in  the  plat 
eighteen  dead  trees,  all  small,  and  there  are  a  good  many  more  of  the 
small  trees  that  do  not  look  as  if  they  would  live  very  much  longer. 
There  is  more  variation  in  height  among  these  trees  than  in  any  other  of 
the  evergreens.  The  appearance  of  the  plat  as  a  whole  is  not  so  prom- 
ising as  it  was  eight  years  ago,  though  there  are  still  enough  trees  in 
apparently  good  health,  and  growing  vigorously,  to  fill  the  space  when 
they  are  full  grown.  The  trunks  are  nearly  all  straight  and  erect.  None 
of  the  leaders  were  broken  off  by  the  sleet  storm  that  injured  so  many 
of  the  Scotch  and  white  pines,  and  there  are  no  double  trees  among 
them. 

A  few  Scotch  pines  were  planted  in  the  plat  by  mistake  and  they 
average  much  larger  than  the  Austrians. 


1893- J  THE    FORESTRY    PLANTATION.  237 

In  1 886  the  average  size  of  the  better  trees  was  given  as:  height, 
27 Vz  ft.  circumference,  a  little  more  than  20  in.  The  same  comparative 
grade  of  trees  is  at  present  35  to  38  ft.  in  height  and  8  to  9  in.  in 
diameter. 

Until  about  eight  years  ago  the  trees  were  so  thick  and  cast  so  dense 
a  shade  as  to  exclude  undergrowth.  Now  there  is  a  thick  growth  of 
weeds,  with  some  raspberries,  Virginia  creepers,  and  other  wooded 
plants. 

The  sizes  of  the  trees  in  the  plat  are  as  follows:  Nine  are  2  in.  in 
diameter;  31,  3  in.;  63,  4  in.;  58,  5  in.;  52,  6  in.;  21,  7  in.;  13,  8  in.;  4, 
9  in.;  i,  10  in. ;  i,  1 1  in. 

SCOTCH  PINE,  (Pinus  sylvestris).  In  the  spring  of  1871,  seedlings 
of  the  Scotch  pine  were  obtained  of  Robert  Douglas,  of  Waukegan, 
Illinois,  and  at  once  set  in  the  permanent  plantation,  in  rows  4  ft.  apart 
and  4  ft.  apart  in  the  row.  The  trees  when  received  were  i  to  2  ft.  high, 
and,  as  an  experiment,  they  had  been  grown  without  transplanting.  It 
was  hoped  in  this  way  to  produce  trees  at  a  reduced  cost,  and  the  result 
might  have  been  better  under  more  favorable  circumstances,  but  the  soil 
becoming  very  dry,  and  the  winds  scorching  and  heavy,  nearly  all  the 
young  trees  died. 

The  next  season,  Mr.  Douglas,  without  charge,  refilled  the  order 
with  transplanted  trees,  12  to  15  inches  high,  and  these  were  planted  as 
the  first  lot  had  been.  Again,  owing  to  unfavorable  conditions,  about 
two-thirds  of  the  trees  died.  In  the  meantime  trees  had  been  grown  in 
the  University  nursery,  and  in  the  spring  of  1873  the  plantation  was 
completed  so  that  very  few  vacant  spaces  remained.  Previous  to  1878 
a  few  trees  had  been  taken  out  for  planting  in  other  places,  and  consid- 
erable numbers  had  died,  so  that  not  more  than  one-fourth  of  a  full  stand 
remained;  these,  while  not  very  regularly  spaced,  have  taken  such 
complete  possession  of  the  ground  as  practically  to  exclude  all  under 
growth. 

No  pruning  or  thinning  of  any  kind  was  done  until  the  winter  of 
1890—91,  when  the  dead  branches  were  taken  off  to  a  height  of  8  to  10 
ft.,  and  the  dead  trees  were  cut  out.  Only  eighteen  dead  trees  were 
found,  and  nearly  all  of  these  were  such  as  had  been  overgrown  and 
smothered.  There  are  now  no  dead  trees  standing.  Except  on  the 
outer  edge  of  the  plat  the  branches  are  all  dead  to  a  height  of  15  to  20  ft. 

After  the  Scotch  pines  became  well  established,  they  made  a  very 
good  growth — more  rapid  than  either  the  white  or  Austrian  pines;  and 
they  are  now  larger  and  appear  more  healthy  and  vigorous  than  either 
of  the  others.  They  are  very  irregular  in  their  habit  of  growth,  so  that 
there  are  but  few  straight  trunks  with  single  leaders  among  them. 
Their  irregular  habit  of  growth  was  made  worse  by  a  sleet  storm  in  the 
winter  of  1882-83,  which  broke  off  the  leaders  of  nearly  half  of  them. 
The  trees  will  incline  to  straighten  some  with  age,  and  will  probably 
make  timber  that  will  be  of  value  when  they  are  full  grown. 


238  BULLETIN    NO.    26. 

As  the  trees  now  stand  they  occupy  a  space  of  a  little  more  than 
8j^  sq.  ft.  each.  In  1886  the  better  trees  were  reported  to  be,  on  an 
average,  29  ft.  high  and  a  little  more  than  23  in.  in  circumference  at  one 
foot  above  the  ground.  At  present  the  same  grade  of  trees  are  from  38 
to  40  ft.  high  and  9  to  10  in.  in  diameter. 

The  sizes  of  the  trees  on  the  plat  are  as  follows:  Three  are  3  in. 
in  diameter;  14,  4  in.;  33,  5  in. ;  41,  6  in.;  50,  7  in.;  46,  8  in. 

The  plat  on  which  these  trees  are  growing  is  quite  level,  with  what 
surface  drainage  there  is,  across  the  rows.  The  trees  were  kept  well 
cultivated  until  1875,  smce  when,  instead  of  plowing,  the  weeds  were 
mowed  off  twice  a  year  with  a  scythe. 

Mr.  Douglas  writes  that  these  trees  were  from  seeds  collected  in 
northern  Europe,  and  belong  to  what  is  sometimes  called  the  Riga  pine. 
This  statement  is  important,  since  it  is  well  known  that  the  Pinus  syl- 
vestris  is  very  variable,  and  for  timber  plantations  the  varieties  differ 
much  in  value. 

WHITE  PINE  (Pinus  strobus.}  White  pine  seedlings  were  col- 
lected in  the  spring  of  1869,  put  in  close  nursery  rows  and  shaded  with 
lath  frames.  About  8  per  cent  died  the  first  year.  Of  a  few  hundred 
trees,  purposely  left  without  shading,  32  per  cent  died.  After  having 
grown  in  the  nursery  three  years,  they  were  deemed  in  good  condition 
for  transplanting.  They  were  at  this  time  12  to  15  in.  high,  well 
formed,  healthy  trees. 

The  land,  one  acre,  where  the  white  pines  are  planted,  is  quite  flat, 
what  slope  there  is  being  to  the  south;  and  at  least  one-half  of  it  is  too 
wet  in  spring,  and  often  in  the  early  part  of  summer,  for  the  best  results 
in  tillage.  The  soil  is  black,  part  of  it  mucky,  one  to  two  feet  in  depth, 
and  underlaid,  for  the  most  part,  with  a  rather  stiff,  blue  clay.  The  trees 
were  planted  May  4,  1872,  4  ft.  apart  each  way.  The  white  pine  is  a 
comparatively  hard  tree  to  transplant  successfully.  The  roots  are  soft, 
long  and  naked,  with  very  few  small  or  fibrous  roots  near  the  tree. 
Knowing  the  necessity  of  careful  handling,  no  effort  was  spared,  from 
digging  in  the  nursery  to  setting  in  permanent  place,  to  secure  success- 
ful results. 

Throughout  the  season  the  ground  was  kept  in  a  good  state  of  tilth 
by  frequent  cultivation,  but  it  was  exceedingly  dry;  and  of  nearly  3,000 
trees  planted,  two- thirds  died  during  the  summer.  Of  Norway  spruce, 
planted  the  same  day,  in  the  same  manner,  and  on  very  similar  soil,  not 
more  than  2  per  cent  died.  It  is  difficult  to  explain  this  greater  per  cent 
of  loss  in  the  pines,  except  as  we  take  into  account  the  comparative 
method  of  development  of  the  roots  of  the  two  species. 

In  the  spring  of  1873  ^e  vacant  spaces  were  filled  from  the  nur- 
sery, and  again  in  1874  trees  were  set  where  needed.  The  result  of  the 
three  plantings  was  an  almost  perfect  stand  of  trees.  The  cultivation 
with  horse  and  hoe  was  kept  up  thoroughly  for  three  years.  During 
the  fourth,  fifth  and  sixth  years  the  weeds  were  mowed.  But  little  cul- 


1893-] 


THE    FORESTRY^.PLANTATION. 


240  BULLETIN  NO.  26.  [May, 

tivating  was  done,  because  the  ground  was  too  wet  in  the  early  part  of 
the  season. 

For  a  number  of  years  after  the  white  pines  were  fairly  started 
they  made  admirable  growth,  and  promised  to  be  very  valuable  timber 
trees  for  the  prairie  soil  here,  as  well  as  for  their  native  regions.  In  a 
report  made  in  1886,  the  following  statement  is  made:  "  From  the  first 
the  living  trees  have  done  exceedingly  well.  Very  few  trees  have  died 
from  any  cause  since  they  began  their  growth  in  their  present  position. 
They  are  now  remarkably  healthy  and  vigorous,  and  the  plantation  vies 
with  that  of  the  larch  in  beauty  and  prospective  value."  At  present 
they  are  not  maintaining  the  early  promise. 

No  thinning  or  pruning  of  any  kind  was  done,  except  what  nature 
does,  until  the  winter  of  1889-90.  During  that  winter  and  the  next  the 
dead  branches,  to  an  average  height  of  about  10  feet,  were  trimmed  off, 
and  the  dead  trees  (some  more  than  350)  were  cut  out.  During  the 
winter  of  1891-92,  sixty-eight  more  dead  trees  were  cut  out,  and  there 
are  at  present  fifty-two  still  standing  that  have  died  since  the  last  were 
cut.  The  trees  cut  out  the  first  time  had  not  all  died  recently.  Some 
of  them  gave  evidence  of  having  been  dead  for  a  number  of  years, 
while  others  had  died  so  lately  that  they  still  carried  dead  leaves.  Most 
of  the  trees  that  have  died  were  the  smaller  ones,  such  as  were  overgrown 
or  badly  crowded.  A  few  only  of  the  larger  trees  have  died.  Of  the 
trees  still  alive,  very  few  have  any  live  branches  lower  than  20  ft. 
Many  of  them  have  an  unthrifty  look,  either  in  the  top  or  on  tne  trunk, 
and  the  prospect  is  that  there  will  be  a  very  considerable  number  of 
trees  to  cut  out  year  by  year  for  some  time. 

The  principal  reason  for  so  many  trees  dying  is  probably  over- 
crowding. As  the  trees  now  stand  they  occupy  a  space  of  less  than  7 
ft.  sq.  each.  The  trees  have  been  damaged  in  other  ways  than  crowding, 
but  not  so  far  as  can  be  judged,  until  after  they  had  already  begun  to 
die.  There  is  continually  a  thick  mat  of  leaves  on  the  ground,  and  these 
have  been  partially  burned  off  twice,  both  times  injuring  the  trees  more 
or  less  from  the  ground  up  two  or  three  feet,  but  apparently  not  any 
higher.  Boys  seem  to  delight  to  cut  their  names  or  designs  in  the 
smooth  bark  of  the  trees.  Occasionally  a  tree  is  entirely  girdled.  The 
girdling  soon  kills  the  trees,  but  most  of  the  lesser  damage  soon  grows 
over.  A  woolly  plant  louse  (  Churnus  pinicorticis,  Fitch^  has  been 
very  abundant  on  many  of  the  trees,  attacking  the  trunks  and  larger 
branches  for  several  years.  They  are  sometimes  so  abundant  that  the 
whole  trunk  has  from  a  little  distance  a  white, or  grayish  white  appearance. 

The  white  pines  do  not  cast  so  dense  a  shade  now  as  they  did  ten 
years  ago.  At  that  time  there  was  no  undergrowth  among  them.  At 
present  there  are  some  small  wooded  plants,  such  as  grape,  raspberry, 
cherry,  box  elder,  etc.,  besides  weeds,  coming  in,  and  there  would  likely 
be  more  of  these  were  it  not  for  the  heavy  mulch  of  leaves  that  covers 
the  ground. 


1893- J  THE    FORESTRY    PLANTATION.  24! 

In  1886  the  average  size  of  the  better  trees  was:  Height,  24  ft.  9  in.; 
circumference,  17  in.  At  present  the  better  trees  are  38  to  40  ft.  high 
and  8  to  9  in.  in  diameter.  During  the  winter  of  1882-3  the  leaders  of 
a  considerable  proportion  of  the  trees  were  broken  down  by  the  weight 
of  sleet.  This  was  the  cause  of  many  trees  being  crooked  at  that  point, 
and  of  others  having  more  than  one  leader.  Except  for  the  trees 
deformed  in  this  way  nearly  all  have  almost  perfectly  straight  trunks. 
The  trees  are  much  more  nearly  uniform  in  height  than  in  diameter. 

The  sizes  of  the  trees  in  the  plat  are  as  follows:  Fifty-eight  are  3 
in.  in  diameter;  194,  4  in.;  256,  5  in.;  236,  6  in.;  144,  7  in.;  70,  8  in.; 
ii,  9  in.;  5,  10  in. 

NORWAY  SPRUCE  (Abies  excelsa).  A  large  lot  of  small  seedlings 
were  put  in  close  nursery  rows  in  the  spring  of  1870  and  grown  there 
two  years.  In  the  spring  of  1872  a  plat  of  half  an  acre  was  planted  2 
by  4  ft.  in  the  low  ground  on  each  side  of  the  open  ditch  that  crosses 
the  forest.  Although  the  season  was  so  severe  with  the  other  ever- 
greens, not  more  than  2  per  cent,  of  these  died.  Comparative  ease  of 
transplanting,  at  least  when  young,  seem  to  be  a  characteristic  of  the 
Norway  spruce,  while  the  opposite  characteristic  seems  to  be  more  or 
less  inherent  in  the  pines. 

When  set,  the  trees  were  12  to  15  in.  high.  /In  the  fall  of  1875, 
three  years  after  setting,  the  trees  were  2  ft.  8  in.  high,  and  in  the  fall  of 
1876,  4  ft.  3  in.,  and  were  making  a  nearly  uniform  growth.  In  1886 
the  better  trees  were  about  25  ft.  high  and  16  in.  in  circumference.  At 
present  they  are  from  35  to  38  ft.  high  and  8  to  9  in.  in  diameter. 

These  trees  have  almost  from  the  first  taken  such  complete 
possession  of  the  ground  as  to  exclude  all  undergrowth,  and  there  is  not 
now  another  kind  that  casts  so  thick  a  shade  as  these.  All  the  trees,  ex- 
cept those  that  are  badly  overcrowded,  seem  to  be  in  perfect  health.  As 
the  trees  stand  at  present,  they  occupy  a  space  of  a  little  more  than 
8  ft.  sq.  A  few  are  beginning  to  be  overcrowded  and  out-topped.  After 
the  trees  had  got  well  started,  probably  in  the  winter  of  1877-8,  alter- 
nate rows  were  cut  out  and  the  trees  left  to  decay  on  the  ground.  Trees 
were  taken  out  as  wanted  for  planting  until  1884.  Others  have  been 
taken  out  up  to  the  present  time  for  Christmas  and  other  decorations. 
Many  of  them  were  taken  for  use  in  other  places  about  the  University 
and  grounds,  and  no  charge  was  made,  so  it  is  impossible  to  estimate 
exactly  the  value  of  the  trees  used;  but  if  they  were  counted  at  the  regu- 
lar prices,  the  returns  from  the  Norway  spruce  would  not  fall  much 
below  those  from  the  hard  maples.  But  as  such  receipts  are  only  inci- 
dental, and  not  to  be  relied  on  under  ordinary  conditions  of  forest  plant- 
ing, they  cannot  serve  as  a  general  guide  as  to  profits. 

During  the  winters  of  1890-91  and  1892-93  the  plat  was  trimmed  up 
to  a  height  of  7  to  8  ft.  Only  about  half  the  dead  branches  were  taken 
off.  Four  dead  trees  were  found,  all  of  them  among  the  very  smallest, 
such  as  had  been  completely  smothered. 


242  BULLETIN    NO.    26. 

There  is  some  question  as  to  what  the  trees  will  be  good  for  after 
they  have  been  grown.  The  size  and  9ge  they  are  at  present,  they  last 
but  a  very  short  time.  After  lying  on  the  ground  for  two  or  three  years 
they  are  so  brash  as  to  be  easily  broken  in  two.  Those  4  to  6  in.  in  diam- 
eter very  seldom  last  more  than  two  years  in  the  ground.  When  the 
trees  are  full  grown  they  would  probably  make  lumber  that  would 
answer  a  very  fair  purpose  for  rough  work,  if  kept  in  dry  places. 

The  sizes  of  the  trees  on  the  plat  are  as  follows:  Six  are  2  in.  in 
diameter;  43,  3  in.;  42,  4  in.;  78,  5  in.;  65,  6  in.;  53,  7  in.;  35,  8  in.;  9, 
9  in.;  6,  10  in.;  i,  n  in. 

WHITE  WILLOW  (Salix  alba).  Cuttings  of  the  white  willow  were 
put  in  the  nursery  in  the  spring  of  1870.  The  next  spring  they  were 
put  in  their  permanent  place  in  the  forest.  The  land  on  which  they 
were  planted  is  low  and  level,  but  is  fairly  well  drained  by  rhe  open 
ditch  that  runs  across  it. 

The  trees  were  planted  4  ft.  apart  each  way,  and  the  first  year 
were  allowed  to  grow  as  they  would.  In  1872  the  young  trees  were 
trimmed  to  a  single  stem,  but  being  still  straggling  and  crooked  they 
were  cut  down  to  the  ground  in  the  spring  of  1873.  The  sprouts 
thrown  up  from  these  stumps  grew  vigorously.  More  trimming  was 
done  on  the  willows  than  on  any  other  species  of  trees  in  the  forest. 
After  a  single  straight  stem  had  been  established  for  each  tree  the 
growth  was  very  rapid.  The  willows  have  almost  from  the  first  been 
taller  than  any  other  kind  of  trees  in  the  forest. 

Cultivation  of  these,  as  of  other  trees  planted  at  the  same  time,  was 
thoroughly  done  with  the  plow  and  hoe,  until  the  fall  of  1875,  since 
which  time  but  little  was  done  except  to  mow  off  the  weeds.  The  trees 
have  always  been  crooked  at  the  bottom.  At  from  2  to  4  ft.  in  height 
the  trunks  become  nearly,  though  never  entirely,  straight.  The  trees 
all  carry  a  single  leader  to  the  top.  The  branches  are  very  easily  broken 
off,  even  when  alive,  and  so  the  trees  have  been  continually  self-trimmed, 
making  most  of  them  practically  bare  poles  all  the  time.  Willows  do 
not  naturally  make  a  dense  shade,  and  this  trimming  makes  them  still 
thinner.  As  a  consequence,  the  trunks  from  the  bottom  up  are  covered 
with  watersprouts  'that  very  seldom  live  to  be  more  than  two  years 
old. 

About  five  or  six  years  ago  the  willows  began  dying  in  the  tops, 
and  at  present  nearly  half  of  them  are  dead;  some  only  in  the  top, others 
nearly  to  the  ground.  The  undergrowth  is  nearly  as  dense  here  as  in 
the  ash,  but  is  of  a  different  character.  Not  less  than  half  of  it  is 
poison  ivy  (^Rhus  toxicodendron}.  Virginia  creeper  is  more  common 
here,  too,  than  it  is  anywhere  else  in  the  forest.  Other  wooded  plants 
are  confined  almost  entirely  to  the  black  raspberry  and  wild  black  cherry. 

In  1886  the  larger  trees  were  put  down  as  59  ft.  in  height  and  26^ 
in.  in  circumference.  The  height  was  probably  given  a  little  too  great 
at  that  time,  since  the  better  trees  are  now  only  65  to  68  ft.  The  best 


1893-]  THE    FORESTRY    PLANTATION.  243 

trees  are  now  10  to  n  in.  in  diameter,  though  a  few  of  those  that  soon 
fork  are  considerably  larger  than  that  at  a  foot  from  the  ground. 

While  these  trees  have  made  such  a  good  growth,  they  do  not  prom- 
ise to  be  of  much  value  except  for  temporary  posts  or  stakes.  The  wodd 
is  very  soft  and  light.  It  does  not  take  a  high  polish,  but  still  is  rather 
handsome  when  well  dressed. 

The  sizes  of  the  trees  in  the  plat  are  as  follows:  Eight  are  3  in.  in 
diameter;  44,  4  in.;  52,  5  in.;  60,  6  in.;  50,  7  in.;  62,  8  in.;  45,  9  in.;  26, 
10  in.;  12,  1 1  in.;  6,  12  in.;  i,  13  in.;  i,  14  in.;  2,  15  in.;  i,  16  in.;  i,  23  in. 

There  is  no  record  as  to  whether  the  trees  died  badly  or  not  when 
young,  but  from  the  irregularity  of  the  stand  one  would  naturally  sup- 
pose they  did.  In  18.86  the  alternate  rows  were  cut  out;  but  it  is  impos- 
sible to  decide  now  which  rows  were  cut  and  which  were  left  because 
of  the  sprouts  from  the  stumps.  As  the  -trees  stand  at  present  they 
occupy  a  space  of  about  6^  sq.  ft.  each. 

CONCLUSIONS. 

Under  present  circumstances  it  seems  impossible  for  forest  tree 
plantations  to  be  profitable  as  a  farm  crop  on  land  fit  for  wheat  and 
corn.  It  is  idle  to  talk  of  growing  wood  for  fuel — except  on  farms,  for 
home  use — when  good  bituminous  coal  can  be  had  at  present  prices. 
The  fact  is,  in  Illinois,  though  the  extent  of  the  natural  forests  has  been 
vastly  diminished,  the  price  of  cord  wood  does  not  advance.  Lands, 
even  though  well  timbered,  sell  at  a  less  price  per  acre  than  adjoining 
lands  of  the  same  quality  that  have  been  cleared,  or  than  prairie  lands  of 
the  same  productiveness.  The  value  of  the  timber  in  such  places  is  less 
than  the  cost  of  clearing  and  bringing  under  cultivation.  It  must,  how- 
ever, be  recognized  that  the  value  of  natural  forests  gives  little  informa- 
tion as  to  the  worth  of  artificial  plantations.  The  former  may  be  mainly 
composed  of  what  is  in  the  locality  most  prized  ;]but  it  is  usual  that  a 
small  proportion  only  of  the  trees  are  those  commanding  the  highest 
price.  In  the  artificial  plantation,  judiciously  managed,  the  whole  may 
be  high-priced,  useful  material;  this,  too, may  be  more  readily  accessible 
and  within  easy  reach  of  the  market. 

Let  it  be  clearly  understood  that  in  the  foregoing,  tree-growing  for 
timber  has  been  the  point  discussed.  But  the  planting  of  trees  has  other 
and  higher  claims.  Whether  or  not  the  actual  amount  of  rainfall  is 
modified  by  forests,  there  is  not  the  slightest  doubt  but  that  the  climate 
is  affected.  The  temperature  is  equalized ;  the  extremes  of  heat  and  cold 
are  not  so  great.  The  air  is  modified  as  to  the  amount  of  moisture, 
especially  in  dry  times  in  summer.  The  moisture  of  the  soil  is  better 
distributed  through  the  year.  The  running  streams  are  better  sustained, 
and  also  less  subject  to  destructive  floods,  where  the  country  is  well  tim- 
bered than  where  the  land  is  kept  bare  by  cultivation  and  the  surface  so 
drained  that  the  water  runs  away  at  once.  Heavy  winds  are  greatly 
checked,  much  to  the  comfort  of  man  and  animals.  Crops  are  preserved 


244  BULLETIN    NO.    26.  [A/ay,   1893. 

in  various  ways  from  the  destructive  influence  of  air  moving  too  rapidly. 
Lastly,  trees  for  the  ornamentation  of  the  home  area,  as  well  as  for  the 
wide  expanse  of  the  country  itself,  can  never  be  neglected  by  a  people 
whose  cultured  tastes  and  educated  perceptions  give  them  pleasure  in  the 
beautiful  and  the  picturesque.  To  one  who  has  no  love  for  trees  as 
such,  half  their  value  is  lost.  He  who  can  see  nothing  but  wood  for  fuel 
or  for  the  manufactory  in  a  shady  grove,  sees  nothing  but  the  dullest  and 
poorest  side  of  life.  While  it  must  be  insisted  that  the  figures  presented 
by  theorists  as  to  the  value  of  timber  as  a  crop  are  extravagant,  and  by  no 
means  a  proper  basis  for  business,  tree-planting  for  the  many  and  varied 
purposes  of  health,  comfort  and  pleasure,  with  financial  profit  as  a  sub- 
ordinate factor,  should  be  studied  and  practiced  by  individuals,  commu- 
nities and  nations.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  experiment  of  which  this 
account  is  made  will  not  be  considered  worthless,  if  the  expenditures  are 
never  equalled  by  the  receipts. 

There  is  one  reason  for  uneasiness  about  this  experiment,  as  there 
must  be  about  every  forest  tree  plantation.  The  matter  is  so  serious  that 
this  report  ought  not  to  be  closed  without  a  word  upon  it.  The  danger 
of  fire  is  a  real  and  imminent  one.  The  areas  bearing  the  conifers  are 
liable  to  be  burnt  over  during  any  dry  time,  and  in  autumn,  after  the  fall 
of  the  leaves,  the  portions  devoted  to  deciduous  trees  are  quite  as  unsafe. 
A  burning  wad  from. a  gun,  a  spark  from  a  pipe,  a  negligent  use  of  fire 
by  a  tramp,  may  be  sufficient  to  start  a  conflagration  which  shall  destroy 
within  a  few  hours  the  products  of  years  and  decades.  The  incendiary 
has  an  abundant  chance  for  the  practice  of  his  most  despicable  and  crim- 
inal acts.  In  Europe  there  is  some  protection  in  the  gens  d?  arms; 
American  police  only  beat  the  thronged  streets  far  away  from  the  farms. 
Our  plantations  would  not  multiply  fast  if  it  were  understood  that  a 
guard  must  be  furnished  night  and  day.  It  is  impracticable  to  gather  the 
fallen  leaves  and  branches,  which,  moreover,  are  necessary  as  a  mulch  for 
the  best  growth  of  the  trees.  There  seems  to  be  little  offered  but  to 
take  the  risk.  If  so,  this  must  be  included  among  the  items  of  obstacles 
and  expenses. 

T.  J.  BURRILL,  Pn.D.,  Horticulturist  and  Botanist.  ' 
G.  W.  McCLUER,  M.S.,  Assistant  Horticulturist. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 

Q.630.7IL6B  C002 

BULLETIN.  URBANA 
17-36  1891-94 


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